Case Studies

Patients who suffer severe orthopedic trauma often have difficulty regaining movement and function. Limited by pain, fear, and weakness, they have a hard time trusting the injured extremity. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill provides a safe, comfortable environment for these patients to regain mobility and regain their life.

• Allows for safe, comfortable reintroduction of weight bearing on the injured lower extremities.
• Restore normal gait mechanics in pain-free environment.
• Progressively load lower extremities to improve strength, proprioception, and endurance.

Cartilage surgical procedures often involve a period of reduced or gradual weight bearing to minimize stress to the healing tissue. Patients use assistive devices like crutches and walkers to aid walking, but this results in dysfunctional gait patterns. With the Anti-Gravity Treadmill’s safe, controlled loading, patients can progressively load the healing tissue without being too aggressive, resulting in smoother, less painful post-operative rehabilitation.

• Encourages earlier pain-free mobility.
• Safely increase confidence in ambulating without assistive devices.
• Normalize gait pattern.

Early, safe, pain-free mobility is the key to a successful post-operative course for Total Hip Replacement patients. The challenge for these patients is the need to adhere to surgical precautions. This can be done easily with the Anti-Gravity Treadmill’s NASA technology, which allows for safe walking at a fraction of the user’s body weight.

• Allows for safe gait training.
• Encourages earlier pain-free mobility.
• Respect post-operative total hip precautions.

Following a cerebrovascular accident, therapy sessions focus on decreasing pain while increasing functional mobility and ambulation. Physical therapy with the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill creates a fall-safe environment for patients to improve in a measured, controlled manner.

• Increase mobility and functional skills in a safe environment
• Develop balance through minimally weight-bearing activities
• Normalize gait patterns

Minimizing fall risk and weight bearing progression is essential to the pelvic ring fracture healing process. Weight bearing and a fall-safe environment are easily managed with the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill.

• Progress patients’ weight-bearing percentage slowly to 100% weight bearing
• Open chain isometrics
• Strengthen core and flexibility

An acetabular fracture can result in an ORIF surgical procedure. In an effort to get an active individual back to their typical lifestyle, an AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill can help normalize gait patterns and begin overground walking.

• Develop a normal gait pattern
• Increase strength and range of motion
• Strengthen mechanics in forward and retro walking

After surgical procedures or an injury, it’s important not to overload the healing tissue. Body weight support not only helps to decrease load with walking, it can also be used to prevent excessive stress when performing standing/closed-kinetic chain activities.

• Body weight support allows for easier starting point when performing walking and closed kinetic chain activities.
• Gradually introduce load back onto lower body to prevent reinjury/re-aggravation.
• Precisely track progress with weight bearing.