When Austin Reynolds, 19, first started using the AlterG® Anti-Gravity Treadmill® at Palm Beach Institute of Sports Medicine (PBISM), he couldn’t believe the difference that it made in his physical therapy workout. “I can walk now without using my hands to hold me up; it’s the first time I’ve been able to do that in four years,” he said.
Born with dwarfism, Reynolds had undergone leg surgery in 2010, which caused him to lose feeling in his leg. He started going to physical therapy, but still needed to use a walker to get around. “Nothing was really progressing,” explained the Boca Raton Community High School student. “Then Richard and Dana told me to try the AlterG, and ever since, my leg has been doing much better.
“It’s been about three weeks, and now I can stand up for about 20 minutes without the walker—before, I couldn’t even stand for five minutes,” he said. “I can feel the muscles working in my back and in my quads and calves—now I’m feeling fatigued from actually using my muscles, instead of just feeling weak.”
The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill is the world’s first and only treadmill that uses NASA-based anti-gravity technology. It is prescribed by therapists for patients with a multitude of neuromuscular and musculoskeletal problems, and enables them to run or walk without bearing their entire weight, reducing the impact on the body. AlterG’s Differential Air Pressure (DAP) technology applies a lifting force to the body that reduces weight on the lower extremities—up to 80 percent of the person’s body weight.“Using the AlterG, a person exercising on the treadmill can have their body weight reduced; they might weigh only 20 percent of what they normally weigh,” explained PBISM owner Dana Van Pelt, PT, DPT, MBA, ATC, LAT. “From a training and rehabilitation standpoint, this enables the person to do things that he or she might not otherwise be able to do on a standard treadmill.
“This system is great for people with knee, hip, foot or ankle pathologies who find it painful to bear weight,” he added. “With this system, they can even progress to running without any pain at all.”
In addition to helping orthopedic patients, the AlterG system can be used to help patients with gait and balance difficulties, such as those with neurological issues including Parkinson’s disease and Guillain-Barré syndrome, and those recovering from stroke. “It really helps because it allows them to exercise in a safe environment; it gives those with ambulatory difficulties the confidence that they can walk, so that they can work on strengthening and gait issues.”
Patients who have fall concerns, or who suffer from pain while walking due to post-operative symptoms or degenerative arthritic joints can also benefit from the AlterG system, as can obese patients who can use it as a motivational tool to see what it would feel like to weigh less and to exercise without joint pain and stress.
“We’ve used the AlterG to help a competitive figure skater recover from a leg fracture; she was having difficulty walking and skating without pain; now she can jog and run,” said Van Pelt. “Another athlete with a moderate hamstring strain was finding it challenging to return to lacrosse; he is actually sprinting in this system.”
Using the AlterG, patients are able to avoid the obstacles—such as pain and fear of falling—that might hamper them in their recoveries. “We’re a pretty proactive sports physical therapy practice, and I’m always looking for innovative equipment that can help patients using movement-oriented activities,” said Van Pelt. “We want to do anything we can to provide accelerated healing and rehabilitation, and to get people back to work or play or to their lives more quickly.”
