Check out our Anti-Gravity Treadmill in use!
A fantastic option to KEEP running for conditions like stress fractures. Our running clients feel so relieved that they are able to continue running, no need to rest for days or weeks. They love being able to keep working toward their running and fitness goals!!
What is an Anti-Gravity Treadmill?
The Anti-Gravity Treadmill is a revolutionary rehabilitation treadmill that uses air pressure technology to provide accurate, safe and comfortable partial weight-bearing therapy while promoting normal gait patterns
This treadmill uses “unweighting” from anywhere between 20-100% of your body weight to allow you to walk or run. In many cases this will mean an earlier return to running!
We are the only Podiatrists in Adelaide who have access to an Anti-Gravity Treadmill! If you’re looking for comprehensive hands-on treatment, combined with a graduated rehab and return to 100% normal running, get in touch with our Podiatry team today!
How Can an Anti-Gravity Treadmill help me?
- Maintain and develop cardiovascular conditioning without stressing injured areas
- Train with your normal gait, and avoid developing any compensatory habits
- Achieve higher level training sooner than otherwise possible
- Reduce the risk of re-injury after returning to the field, court, or track
- Prepare for or recover from long-distance events such as marathons, ultra-marathons and ironman events, aiming to remain injury-free whilst increasing your training loads significantly
- Push your training to the next level by running at higher speeds than possible at bodyweight, aiming to remain injury-free, improve performance and recover faster
- Weight loss and health rehab
early return to movement and rehabilitation in the following areas:
- Post-surgery rehab: following ankle or foot surgery
- Bone related: stress fractures, shin splints and osteoarthritis
- Sports: perform low levels of jogging and running (and progress) to maintain fitness and return sooner from injury (plantar fasciopathy, Achilles tendonosis, calf injuries, heel pain)
- Older populations: improve strength and conditioning in a fall-safe environment
Common Running Injuries that can benefit from Anti-Gravity Treadmill training:
- Plantar Pain & Plantar Fasciopathy (Fasciitis)
- Heel Pain
- Shin Splints
- Metatarsal Stress Reaction & Stress Fractures
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Patellar Tendinopathy (Jumper’s Knee)
- Patellofemoral Pain
- Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
- Compartment Syndrome
- Lateral Knee & ITB Pain
- Hip & Pelvic injuries
- Lower Back pain
Knee & Lower Leg
- Patellofemoral Pain
- Meniscal Tear
- Knee Arthroscopy
- Total Knee Replacement
- ACL Reconstruction
- Ligament Injury or repair – ACL, MCL, PCL, LCL
- ITB Friction Syndrome
- Knee Osteoarthritis
- Calf Tear
- Shin Splints
- Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
- Tibia & Fibula Stress Reaction & Stress Fracture
Foot & Ankle
- Metatarsal Stress Reaction & Stress Fracture
- Navicular Stress Reaction & Stress Fracture
- Cuboid Stress Reaction & Stress Fracture
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Heel Pain
- Plantar Pain & Plantar Fasciopathy (Fasciitis)
- Ankle Impingement
- Lateral Ligament Injury
- Post Ankle Surgery
- Peroneal Tendinopathy
- Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy
- Ankle Osteoarthritis
What are the studies saying About Anti-Gravity Treadmills?
The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill is a NASA inspired space-age, differential air pressure device which will help you get to where you need to be. Designed in California, the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill has been used by professional sporting associations both in Australia (AFL, NRL, AIS) and across the world (NBA, NFL, EPL) since 2005.
For Osteoarthritis:
The Anti-Gravity Treadmill allows the body weight load on the lower limbs to be adjusted using differential air pressure, which is considered useful for patients with lower limb osteoarthritis. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of aerobic exercise using an Anti-Gravity Treadmill in patients with lower limb osteoarthritis by using a cardiopulmonary exercise load monitoring system. These subjects walked naturally for 8 minutes and then walked on the Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill for 8 minutes at their fastest speed at a load where lower limb pain was alleviated. Pain after walking was significantly greater with level ground walking than with Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill walking.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2020. No page title. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5574327/. [Accessed 26 September 2020].
For cadence:
Cadence, or step rate, is often measured in running gait analysis and manipulated in gait retraining. An Anti-Gravity Treadmill, allows users to walk or run in a reduced weight environment. Thirty participants were recruited to run on an Anti-Gravity Treadmill at their pre-determined, self-selected, comfortable treadmill speed. Cadence was recorded at nine randomized body weight conditions, ranging from 100% of body weight to 20% of body weight, in 10% increments. An additional nine participants were recruited to try to replicate their natural, standard treadmill cadence, as well as increase it by 5% and 10%, while on an Anti-Gravity treadmill with the same randomized body weight conditions. The study concluded that decreasing body weight level on an Anti-Gravity Treadmill yields a significant and linear decrease in cadence when performed at a self-selected, moderate intensity pace. Further, the vast majority of participants were able to successfully replicate and increase cadence at all levels of body weight percentage.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2020. No page title. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6878870/. [Accessed 26 September 2020].
For Cerebral Palsy:
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the partial body weight-supported treadmill exercise (PBWSTE), robotic-assisted treadmill exercise (RATE), and Anti-Gravity Treadmill exercise (Alter-G Anti-Gravity) in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Each group underwent a total of 20 treadmill exercise sessions for 45 min for five days a week for a total of four weeks. The patients were assessed using three-dimensional gait analysis, open-circle indirect calorimeter, six-minute walking test, and Gross Motor Functional Measurement (GMFM) scale before and after treatment and at two months of follow-up. The study found there was a significant improvement in the oxygen consumption in the Anti-Gravity Treadmill (Alter-G Anti-Gravity) group (p>0.05) and RATE group (p>0.05), but not in the PBWSTE group (p<0.05). The study indicates that the Anti-Gravity Treadmill (Alter-G Anti-Gravity)can be used more actively in patients with spastic CP.
Europe PMC. 2020. Europe PMC. [ONLINE] Available at: https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc6935733. [Accessed 26 September 2020].
For prosthetic rehab:
The aim of this case study was to verify the efficacy and safety of anti-gravity treadmill training for prosthetic rehabilitation following below-knee amputation. The patient underwent left below-knee amputation as a result of diabetic foot gangrene. Since his physical strength and vitality had declined during the perioperative period, anti-gravity treadmill training was introduced for his outpatient prosthetic rehabilitation. The anti-gravity treadmill was found to be a useful instrument for prosthetic rehabilitation following below-knee amputation. Anti-gravity treadmill training has the potential to support the prosthetic rehabilitation of below-knee amputees, especially for patients whose physical strength and vitality are decreased.
SAGE Journals. 2020. SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research. [ONLINE] Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0309364614532866#_i16. [Accessed 26 September 2020].
