Running Rehab-Getting my Fix…sort of

“Hi my name is Deborah and it has been 14 days since my last run”…

Walking into PT at Bodies in Motion in Falls Church, Va I was very down and not particularly thrilled about being there. I wanted to be outside with my friends-running.  I met my PT, Larry, a seasoned veteran of the PT world. He assured me that I would be back on the roads in a few weeks. He stressed that fact that being in such good shape when you get hurt really helps to speed up the process. Well, thanks for the compliment Larry! I try!

I was pleasantly surprised when (after a short assessment) he told me to jump onto the Alter G treadmill. What?! I actually get to RUN today?

According to Alter G website: www.alterg.com

Thanks to its precise unweighting technology, the AlterG^® Anti-Gravity Treadmill^® allows you to push your training and physical therapy rehabilitation further than ever before. You can:

• Reduce gravity’s impact by selecting any weight between 20% and 100% of your body weight by 1% increments
• Rehabilitate lower extremity injuries with less pain and less impact
• Improve mobility, strength and safety for those with neurological conditions
• Provide a safe way to lose weight and exercise more intensively while unweighted
• Train without pain and reduce the stress to joints and muscles
• Recover effectively and with less pain after training or competition

Find Your Form
The innovative AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill is a game changer in physical therapy rehabilitation. Whether you’re a patient or an athlete dealing with lower body injuries, chronic pain or neurological conditions that inhibit mobility, you can benefit from the unweighting capabilities of the Anti-Gravity Treadmill. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill helps a broad spectrum of people – top level athletes, orthopedic and neurological patients, children, seniors and those looking to lose weight – to achieve their personal health, wellness or performance goals.

How it works:
You step into a pair of shorts that are kind of like a wetsuit material. The shorts are then zipped in and attached to the machine. The machine weighs you (does not display it) and then calculates the amount of body weight you desire(45% today). The shorts then fill up with air (Oompah Loompah style) so that you now weigh 45% of your body weight. I then began to walk  which felt odd almost as if I was walking on a cloud. After a few minutes, I was told to up the speed to 4.0 and jog. Yes! I was jogging and it felt so good. Weird but good. I felt like I could run forever and I probably would have if Larry had not stopped me after 30 minutes. I was so happy to be sort of running that I had the biggest smile on my face the rest of the day. Mentally this was just what I needed to give me some hope. I had been feeling pretty sorry for myself.

I thought that I would have to wait much longer to “run” on the Alter G. I was a little afraid that I would hurt myself more. I was a little sore the next day but I think that is normal. So happy to get my fix and looking forward to my next “run” next week.