The AlterG is a specialized treadmill with anti-gravitational capabilities.
Most people know what treadmills are, even if they don’t use them often. However, some treadmills are designed specifically for medical purposes, coming with extra perks that give them different options for functionality. With a widely used patient base and numerous reviews for it’s assistance in recovery, Alter G is a great means of treating your ailments if you have the chance to use a machine like it.
Anti-gravity treadmills were first created in the 1990s at the hands of Robert Whalen, a biomechanics researcher at NASA. Using NASA Differential Air Pressure technology, its original purpose was for International Space Station astronauts to exercise daily and combat potential bone mass and/or muscle loss while in low-gravity environments. In that time though, this technology has evolved into machines that can benefit your average person, with the AlterG company gaining the license to said technology in 2005 and evolving it into what it is today.
Nowadays, people from all walks of life use anti-gravity treadmills, from top-level athletes to the military to medical patients across the country. So, how does it work? AlterG treadmills use air pressure to decrease a patient’s weight. When a patient first steps into the machine, they are zipped inside, making the machine a chamber or bubble of sorts. This allows the lower body to be supported by the air pressure, and the amount of support can be adjusted after initial calibration.
On top of the anti-gravitational component, the treadmill has other features, allowing patients to practice walking or running with different speed capabilities alongside the weight control. While the patient undergoes this process, physical therapists are able to monitor and record their patients’ conditions from the exterior of the bubble, which allows sight inside. This entire process allows patients to walk or run at a lower percentage of their body weight than usual, which can enable them to get used to walking or running at normal capability again at a faster rate.
For patients looking to increase their mobility and/or strength, all while minimizing stress on their body, AlterG technology may be just what they are looking for. Moreover, people recovering from fractures and knee or hip surgeries, or looking to lose weight, may find just what they are looking for in AlterG treadmills.
AlterG treadmills are an innovative and high-tech approach to new forms of physical therapy and medical care, but it is a real technology that exists in the here and now and is helping thousands of patients to this day. Whether you are looking to recover after an injury or a surgery or looking to increase your overall mobility, an anti-gravity treadmill may be the exact kind of treatment that you are looking for.
This modality is one of many treatments we offer at Alliance Orthopedics. With the latest technologies and dozens of staff members in our wings, we will do everything in our power to help you get better faster. For more information about us and how we can help you, please contact us at any of our four main offices in Matawan, East Brunswick, Freehold, and Old Bridge, New Jersey. We look forward to helping you Get Better Faster!