![]() ![]() “It’s really like you’re walking on the moon,” he says. “It just feels kind of like you’re floating and running.”Ĭampbell says the anti-gravity treadmill provides the same buoyancy effect you’d get running in a pool, but without the thickness of water pushing against you. “You can’t feel the shock of the ground quite as much,” he says. “Super goofy,” is how Fraleigh describes his experience on an anti-gravity treadmill. Just know that it’s going to feel a bit, um, different. Once the chamber is calibrated, you can simply start running, as you would on a normal treadmill. Check out this video from the Michigan Medicine for a visual demonstration. ![]() ![]() Technology inside the chamber calibrates to your bodyweight and fills the chamber with air, which creates a “lifting effect on the body,” Fraleigh explains. Then, these shorts (and thus you) get zipped into the cocoon, which is basically a giant air chamber. in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, tells Runner’s World. Using an anti-gravity treadmill requires more set-up than simply stepping onto the machine and pressing start.įirst, you don specialized shorts, which are like a mix between a short wetsuit and a kayak spray skirt, Chris Campbell, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., president and owner of Sport & Spine Physical Therapy, Inc. Fraleigh currently uses the AlterG with clients about one to two days a week. For instance, with the AlterG (a specific brand of anti-gravity treadmill), you can diminish your bodyweight up to 80 percent, meaning you can experience what it’s like to stride with just 20 percent of your normal weight.Īn anti-gravity treadmill looks like a standard treadmill but has a “big plastic cocoon” attached to the outer railing, Brandon Fraleigh, P.T., D.P.T., physical therapist and head of the Runner’s Clinic at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Medicine Center, tells Runner’s World. It’s up to the user how much weight you want to shave off. We tapped two physical therapists to learn more about anti-gravity treadmills, including how they work, who they’re for, and where you can give one a whirl.Īn anti-gravity treadmill is a special type of treadmill that reduces the effects of gravity and allows you to run at a fraction of your bodyweight. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill is one of the tools we commonly use in our centers when working with athletes and clients of all ages.ĪlterG Treadmill training, along with the hands-on deep force manual therapy, functional strength and conditioning, and a holistic lifestyle, leads to faster recovery times and improved outcomes.Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play The Bottom LineĪt TB12, we're always on the forefront of rehab and injury prevention. Using the AlterG, the Body Coach can teach gait mechanics and help clients retrain some movement patterns essential for walking or running. Specific injuries or conditions such as plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, patella tendinitis, IT band syndrome, and osteoarthritis, among others, can also benefit from unweighted training.īody coaches may also use the AlterG treadmill for recovery from neurological conditions such as a stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, or Parkinson’s disease. Post-operative musculoskeletal conditions that can benefit include ACL reconstruction, lateral ankle ligament reconstruction, hip labrum repair, total hip replacement, total knee replacement, lumbar laminectomy, and lumbar discectomy. ![]() In the same vein, the AlterG can be a useful tool for recovery from both musculoskeletal and neurological injuries. This builds clients' confidence and helps to create better neuromuscular patterns while retraining their brain and muscles on how to walk and run. Additionally, because the client is secured into the treadmill, there is minimal risk of falling or losing balance. If a client can walk or run sooner, even at partial weight, the AlterG can help decrease swelling, prevent muscular atrophy, and improve their overall outcomes.Ĭontrolling and reducing the load through the joints also decreases the risk of future injury. Tracking progress is straightforward, since clients can start at 50% weight bearing and progress by 10% each week. Following surgery, many clients have weight-bearing restrictions. The AlterG Treadmill allows Body Coaches to safety progress clients from week to week with an objective measurement of weight, speed, distance, and duration. ![]()
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