RMS Physical Therapy 

Installs the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill 

What is the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill?

The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, in most aspects, looks and works like a regular treadmill.  It was developed with NASA technology to simulate the feeling of weightless walking or running.  The AlterG is created with an advanced air pressure regulation system creating a lifting fource, which allows you to reduce your weight by 20, 30, 50 percent, more or less depending on your need, without altering your natural body movement.    The AlterG enables individuals who have been weakened or impared by illness or injury to improve mobility and health, recover from injury & surgery more effectively and overcome medical challenges that limit movement. (www.alter-g.com)

How Does it Work?

The Anti-Gravity Treadmill creates a lifting force that allows for ultra-low impact.  Once fitted on the machine, the belt starts moving and you can adjust the speed & incline, as on a regular treadmill.  Patients can run & walk without bearing their entire weight, reducing the impact on the body.  Its Differential Air Pressure (DAP) technology applies a lifting force to the body, reducing weight on the lower extremities and allows precise unweighting up to 80% of a person’s body weight.  People can find where the pain stops and natural movement feels good allowing ease & comfort while walking or running, reducing impact on their joints. 

For Rehabilitation:

- Lower body injury & surgery rehabilitation

- Rehab after total joint replacement

- Neurologic retraining

- Gait training in neurologic patients

- Strengthening & conditioning in older patients

- Aerobic conditioning

- Weight control & reduction

- Sport specific conditioning programs

- Stress related injury 

- For Athletes

- For Trainers

- For Performance Enhancement   

To experience the AlterG difference for yourself, please contact us for more information and to schedule an appointment (847) 895-2910.

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According to the most recent statistics from American Lung Association and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), over 430,000 people die each year as a result of smoking-related diseases. According to the American Lung Association, cigarette smoking leads to 87% of lung cancers, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Smoking is known to cause:

• Heart disease
• Lung cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Chronic lung disease

But there is one more thing: smoking is also bad for your bones!

Bones, like other tissues and organs of your body, get their nutrition from good blood flow. Normally, when a bone is injured (i.e. fractured), blood flow brings in the desperately needed nutrients to help heal the bone.

Smokers tend to have an elevated level of nicotine in their blood, which constricts blood vessels. This leads to decreased blood flow, resulting in impaired delivery of oxygen and other nutrients. Thus, when the bone of a smoker is injured, healing is compromised.

With the impaired nutrition to the bones, bone density becomes affected and this can also lead to osteoporosis.

If you are a smoker and suffer from low back pain, you are not alone. The idea that smoking may be linked with low back pain has been around for quite some time. The key culprit here is nicotine, which limits blood flow throughout the body, including the spine. Chronic oxygen deprivation causes the discs to weaken. The result is malnourished and degenerated discs, which lead to pain. As a chronic smoker, the more you cough, the more you irritate the discs, which results in more low back pain.

If you are considering a fusion surgery, your doctor will ask you if you smoke. This is important because nicotine damages the “bone building cells”. In extreme cases, a surgeon may refuse to operate if the patient is a chronic smoker, since smoking slows down healing after spinal surgery.

Chronic smoking can have a significant negative impact on your health and can lead to:

• Decreased healing after a bone fracture.
• Decreased bone density, which leads to osteoporosis.
• Increased risk of hip fracture.
• Decreased blood flow to the skin, which leads to delayed wound healing.
• Decreased blood flow in the hands and feet, which can lead to painful neuropathy.

If you suffer from any of these, the first thing to do is to look into a smoking cessation program. Here are some tips to help you quit smoking:

• Determine the 'key drivers' that motivate you to quit.
• Pick a stress-free time to quit.
• Join a support group; seek help from family and friends.
• Start doing some daily exercises to help relieve stress, improve bone strength and boost energy levels. This is exactly where your physical therapist can help.

We help you with the right exercises to facilitate the healing process and decrease pain.

If you or someone you know is a smoker, give us a chance to lead you to a healthier life. Call our office and we’ll design an exercise plan that is best suited for you.