ALTOONA – UPMC Altoona’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department now has an anti-gravity treadmill for patients to exercise nearly weightlessly and pain-free, which enhances the rehabilitation experience.
“The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill(r) provides safe, precise, and comfortable therapy for a broad range of indications, including geriatric, orthopedic, neurologic, and bariatric patients,” said Paul Tryninewski, director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
For orthopedic patients, rehabilitation can start sooner because the amount of weight-bearing can be precisely set from 20 to 100 percent of body weight. Elite Orthopedics has had several patients undergo rehabilitation that included AlterG.
“It is great for patients who have had knee and hip replacement,” said Charles J. Harvey Jr., D.O., of Elite, “because it removes the body’s weight from impacting upon those surgically repaired lower-body joints while at the same time providing a full range-of-motion workout for both sides of the body.”
Another advantage: The AlterG uses positive air pressure to lift the patient off the ground, so patients with incisions and wounds can use it safely without infection risks. This positive air pressure “lightens” the body to the precise point where exercise becomes pain-free.
Patients who are at risk for falls and need exercise, conditioning, or rehabilitation are ideal candidates for AlterG. Those with balance problems or seniors, for example, often hesitate or won’t exercise because of a fear of falling, according to physical therapist Karen Walters-Smilnak.
“A person who hasn’t exercised for years fatigues easily and may develop other health risks that may be addressed this way,” Ms. Walters-Smilnak said. “The protected environment of AlterG helps quiet this fear of falling. If the patient becomes tired or dizzy, all she does is sit down, and the air supports her.
Weightless exercising is also beneficial for bariatric patients to begin exercising more comfortably before and after surgery to reach weight and exercise goals with less strain on their joints.
“AlterG allows you to experience weightlessness like the astronauts do. And, it makes exercise more fun.”
