‘Anti-gravity’ treadmill installed at JRMC

Jamestown Regional Medical Center has announced that the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, the world’s first and only treadmill using NASA-based anti-gravity technology, has been installed to help patients in their short-term rehabilitation programs.

With funds raised by the JRMC Foundation, the rehabilitation department is now able to serve neurological and orthopedic patients better by offering them the opportunity to rehab faster with the AlterG.

AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmills enable faster rehabilitation and safer conditioning for the geriatric population which can help remove major obstacles associated with these activities, JRMC officials said. Impact on the body and the pain of recovery are reduced, which helps people achieve better results.

With the AlterG, patients can run and walk without bearing their entire weight, reducing the impact on the body to optimize rehabilitation and physical therapy outcomes. Its differential air pressure technology applies a lifting force to the body that reduces weight on the lower extremities and allows precise unweighting — up to 80 percent of a person’s body weight, so people can find exactly where the pain stops and natural movement feels good again.

“This treadmill is a breakthrough in enabling our rehabilitation patients to get back to their lives as quickly and effectively as possible,” said Tracy Anderson, JRMC rehab manager.

Patients can use the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill to recover from injury and surgery and it allows them to immediately do partial weight-bearing exercises. Patients with neurological disorders maintain, and in some cases regain functionality and mobility working with the AlterG.

“We are fortunate to be only the second facility in North Dakota to have a treadmill of this kind to offer advanced services to our patients,” Anderson said.

AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmills are designed to be used for lower body injury and surgery rehabilitation, aerobic conditioning, sport specific conditioning programs, neurologic retraining, and geriatric strength and conditioning.

Tags: life, health