Alter-G treadmill

[Guest guest]

Anybody using an Alter-G treadmill in clinic? The rep came by today and while it

looks neat, it's kinda expensive. Is it paying for itself? Are you really using

it that much? Overall I'm not a fan of treadmills, as with all new physical

therapy toys, is this a " game changer " ?

Adam P. Carson, DPT, OCS

[Guest guest]

Just got an Alter G in January and am loving it. It really enables

function for clients who otherwise are backed off by

pain/balance/strength issues.

I do see it as a game changer and am finding new ways to use it daily,

often for the unweighting as opposed to the treadmill element. Woman in

80's who was too weak to successfully stand/sit without collapsing - we

can unweight her and start on squats and progress to single leg squats

safely in the machine. I love getting elderly folks walking faster than

they have in years without pain - some even get to jogging and that is a

huge psychological boost as well as phenomenal balance/physio boost.

Have a pre-TKR gal who has taken off 10# in her prep for surgery and has

been walking with short jogs and is so much fitter and ready for her

surgery - its enabled her to see herself as an athlete again and get

great leg and cardio conditioning without exacerbating her knees (and

improve her step up/down mechanics when we put a step in the unit for

her). Post polio patient (late 60's with many LE tendon transfers and

little function below the knee) got in for a trial and was able to walk

and run without a limp for the first time in 60 years. Patients with

ALS, post stroke, cerebellar degen, deconditioned/vision issues, tendon

tears, TBI, pelvic separations, foot drop, Achilles' rehab, stenosis,

COPD, THR, TKR and bariatric issues have all been using it with great

results - its safe and I love that its more functional than biking. For

patients who are otherwise reluctant to exercise, it is fun and allows

you to meet the patient at a point physically that they CAN manage. The

neuro retraining effects are striking - we are collecting pre-post

testing on nearly everyone who uses it. Only have had 2 clients who had

trouble using: one with big iguinal hernia - had trouble with the

pressure of the shorts and another with a very hot SIJ couldn't tolerate

the compression (but we re-tested a week later as a diagnostic test so

still useful!) Its a new paradigm in rehab and makes me think really

differently about optimal approaches to some situations.

I am a single PT outpatient office so am hoping a significant % of its

use will come from community " rental " for exercise purposes and it is

gaining traction there as more folks hear about it. I'd estimate about

30% of my clients use it for some element of their rehab. Absolutely

recommend the video/3 way camera system as you can get the patient much

more on top of their gait issues. There are some good eyes out there who

pick up things before they are pointed out - they've never had the

chance to see their gait from behind or the side before!

Happy to answer other questions if needed.

Anne , MPT

Soquel, CA

[Guest guest]

Just got an Alter G in January and am loving it. It really enables

function for clients who otherwise are backed off by

pain/balance/strength issues.

I do see it as a game changer and am finding new ways to use it daily,

often for the unweighting as opposed to the treadmill element. Woman in

80's who was too weak to successfully stand/sit without collapsing - we

can unweight her and start on squats and progress to single leg squats

safely in the machine. I love getting elderly folks walking faster than

they have in years without pain - some even get to jogging and that is a

huge psychological boost as well as phenomenal balance/physio boost.

Have a pre-TKR gal who has taken off 10# in her prep for surgery and has

been walking with short jogs and is so much fitter and ready for her

surgery - its enabled her to see herself as an athlete again and get

great leg and cardio conditioning without exacerbating her knees (and

improve her step up/down mechanics when we put a step in the unit for

her). Post polio patient (late 60's with many LE tendon transfers and

little function below the knee) got in for a trial and was able to walk

and run without a limp for the first time in 60 years. Patients with

ALS, post stroke, cerebellar degen, deconditioned/vision issues, tendon

tears, TBI, pelvic separations, foot drop, Achilles' rehab, stenosis,

COPD, THR, TKR and bariatric issues have all been using it with great

results - its safe and I love that its more functional than biking. For

patients who are otherwise reluctant to exercise, it is fun and allows

you to meet the patient at a point physically that they CAN manage. The

neuro retraining effects are striking - we are collecting pre-post

testing on nearly everyone who uses it. Only have had 2 clients who had

trouble using: one with big iguinal hernia - had trouble with the

pressure of the shorts and another with a very hot SIJ couldn't tolerate

the compression (but we re-tested a week later as a diagnostic test so

still useful!) Its a new paradigm in rehab and makes me think really

differently about optimal approaches to some situations.

I am a single PT outpatient office so am hoping a significant % of its

use will come from community " rental " for exercise purposes and it is

gaining traction there as more folks hear about it. I'd estimate about

30% of my clients use it for some element of their rehab. Absolutely

recommend the video/3 way camera system as you can get the patient much

more on top of their gait issues. There are some good eyes out there who

pick up things before they are pointed out - they've never had the

chance to see their gait from behind or the side before!

Happy to answer other questions if needed.

Anne , MPT

Soquel, CA