What if you’re an athlete, but due to an injury you can’t work out? What if you want to lose weight, but exercise is difficult and painful. What do you do?
You use the Alter G Anti-Gravity Treadmill.
It looks like a treadmill with an oversized plastic bag attached to it. And, essentially, that’s what it is. But don’t get hung up on what it looks like – it’s what it can do that makes it truly unique.
“What makes the Alter G different is that we’re able to safely and comfortably unweight a person, down to 20 percent of their body weight,” says Andy Compton, Outpatient Therapy manager. “The Alter G uses the air pressure created in the chamber to gently raise the user up without limiting their ability to move. So, a person can exercise as they normally would, but with reduced stress on their joints or on an existing injury.”
For years, therapists have had access to equipment that would allow them to remove a percentage of a patient’s body weight. But there were issues with it.
“The old equipment was a lot more cumbersome – you had to use straps and painstakingly adjust them to get the patient in the proper position, without restricting the patient’s respiratory system – to be honest, we didn’t use it much because it was uncomfortable for patients and difficult to use,” says Jason Pyrah, Sports Medicine coordinator.
With the Alter G, there is no restriction. The user dons special shorts with a zipper around the waist – this zipper is then connected to the zipper on the Alter G “bag,” creating an airtight seal. The therapist uses the treadmill’s electronic controls to set the percentage of body weight to “remove,” and as the bag fills with air, the user is gently lifted until the proper unweighting is achieved. After that, it’s just like using a regular treadmill, whatever your fitness or rehabilitation goal.
While the Alter G can be used by patients and the public with a number of different goals in mind, the staff in Outpatient Therapy uses it primarily while helping athletes recover from injuries.
“In the past, injured athletes were usually told to rest, or maybe get in the pool for exercise while they recovered. This technology is a great alternative where they can continue to run while they heal, with decreased stress on their bodies. They can recover while doing something they love to do,” says Compton.
“Our biggest goal is to get them to return to play,” says Pyrah. “Controlling how much weight they bear on their injury helps us help them recover faster.”
Another benefit to athletes is that the Alter G allows them to maintain their fitness level while they recover. Says Pyrah: “If an athlete sits out for 3 or 4 weeks to recover from an injury, when they get back on the field or the court they often can’t play for long because their fitness level has decreased – it doesn’t have anything to do with the injury that sidelined them in the first place. With this, we can allow the injury to heal while keeping their cardiovascular health up. Then when the injury is fully healed they are at the same fitness level as before.”
While the benefits to athletes are clear, Compton points out that this treadmill can benefit patients and members of the public in a number of different ways.
“For our neurological patients who often have weak muscles, it allows us to help them build endurance and work on their gait while placing less stress on their bodies,” he says. “We also see benefits for post-op patients, and even for people with back pain who are told to walk, but in a normal setting can’t because of the discomfort caused by the exercise.” Seniors also benefit greatly from the reduced joint pain the Alter G offers.
A steady flow of patients have been taking advantage of the Alter G, but the treadmill is also available for community use at certain times of the day. Free trials are available so people can experience the nearly weightless feeling, and passes can be purchased by anyone who would like to use the machine.
Everyone who has been on the Alter G says you have to experience it to understand what it can do. “I think people are amazed by it,” says Compton.
Want to try it?
The Alter G is available for community use. Call 269-5500 for a current schedule, or to schedule a free trial. Passes are also available.
Day pass - $20 (good for one 30-minute session)
12-visit pass - $144 (good for 3 months from date of purchase)
20-visit pass - $200 (good for one month from date of purchase)
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