Anti-gravity treadmills are nothing new. In fact, most big sports universities have one in their training facility. You can even find a YouTube
video of Lebron James and Kobe Bryant trying one out.
Fortunately for Greater Cincinnati residents, these machines — which can reduce a user's actual weight by 20-99 percent — are now available at Mercy Health.
The Orthopedic Sports and Medicine Center in Anderson Township recently acquired an
AlterG state-of-the-art treadmill for their physical therapy patients.
Developed first by NASA, anti-gravity treadmills use an inflatable air chamber that surrounds the runner's lower body and actually lifts them as they run. As the runner becomes lighter, the impact on their muscles and joints is lessened. From a physical therapy standpoint, that's a really good thing.
Normally, physical therapy patients have to postpone weight-bearing exercise at the risk of causing further injury. With the anti-gravity technology, patients can begin the rehabilitation process more quickly and with far less pain.
The treadmills also allow the user to adjust their weight to whatever they'd like. A runner can learn what it would feel like to be 20 pounds lighter just by adjusting the settings.
As much as the average physical therapy clinic would love to have one of these machines on its floor, the high price tag keeps that from happening. The recent addition to Mercy Health is therefore indicative of the organization's strong commitment to staying on the cutting edge of rehab technology.
AlterG, the company responsible for Mercy Health's particular machine, is based in California. In 2013, the company added a bionic leg to its list of products.
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