Running on Air in the Garden State

When I first heard about the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, a treadmill using NASA-based anti-gravity technology, I could not wait to check it out. I'm thankful I didn't have to fly to Houston to do so. MCRC Physical Therapy on Pleasant Valley Way has the only one available for public use in New Jersey.

I was greeted by Dr. John Wolkstein, director of fitness and post rehabilitation, who gave me a tour of the facility. It was easy to spot the AlterG since it was pretty big and seemed very government-like. Wolkstein explained that they added the AlterG to their practice in April.

"We wanted to provide our clients the state of art equipment," said Wolkstein. He pointed out that no other local establishment, such as St. Barnabas Hospital, could offer this equipment to their patients.

So, what exactly is this contraption? Wolkstein tried to explain it in layman's terms. When someone is recovering from, say, a torn ACL or a hip replacement, rehabilitation is usually painful. The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill uses air pressure to support the patient's body weight while they run or walk. It gives the patient the opportunity to rehab from surgery or injury without pain.

"For an athlete, training is basically risk free and rehab is faster." said Wolkstein. "If someone is recovering from a lower body injury or surgery, it leads to a faster recovery and, many times, avoiding injuring another part that is working to compensate the original injury."

Now, it was my turn.

Wolkstein handed me a pair of shorts with a zipper all around the edge. The material felt very similar to a wetsuit. I climbed on the treadmill and Wolkstein zipped me into the treadmill. The entire lower half of my body was enclosed in a plastic bubble.

He guessed my weight correctly and pressed a few buttons.

"Let's get you warmed up," he said. I began slowly walking. After a few minutes, he decreased my weight by 10 percent. I felt the air pressure slightly increase. At the same time, I increased my speed on the treadmill. I was running except I felt much lighter.

We continued to play around with the speed and the air pressure. I was running faster than I had ever ran on a treadmill. I was certainly getting a cardio workout. I was sweating, yet, it didn't feel that hard. My legs felt great and my knees felt strong.

Wolkstein goes the extra step. He videotapes sessions with his Flip Mini and e-mails it to his patient's doctors. The doctors can then change the prescription based on the results they are seeing on the video.

As a lark, he put the air pressure to 50 percent of my body weight. At that point, I was literally running on air.  My feet could barely touch the ground. I now had a glimpse of what an astronaut feels like in outer space. Very cool.

"I love seeing people's faces the first time they experience this," said Wolkstein. "People can walk or run without pain for the first time in a long time. If I am working with an obese patient, I can show them what it would feel like to weigh less. It becomes real for them."

Since April, anywhere between five to 10 patients use the machine on a daily basis. "Most of our clients use it for rehab," said Wolkstein, "but I had a marathon runner come in this morning at 6:30 am. He is in training and wants to increase his mileage without getting injured." Most health insurance companies will cover the use of the AlterG when it comes to rehab, but an average citizen, like the Marathon runner, would have to pay $1 per minute to utilize the treadmill.

Professional athlete,s such as Gilbert Arenas and Dathan Ritzenhein, and professional sports teams, such as NCAA Athletic Programs and the USA Olympic Training Center, have used the AlterG.

MCRC director Mike Weis, a physical therapist and a certified athletic trainer, was the first one on staff to test drive the AlterG and has been more than pleased with its results.

"I had one patient with a torn ACL who was able to fully recover without any hip or back pain by using the AlterG," said Weiss. "We always follow up with our patients to make sure they are feeling OK a day or two after the workout to ensure everything is going smoothly. We gear it to the individual."

Recovering from an injury, surgery or training for the next IronMan, I highly recommend checking out the AlterG. If you don't believe me, check out these West Orange residents:

Bill Sullivan, a middle aged man, had a hip replacement to fix injuries from a prior fracture and used the AlterG as part of his recovery. Bill said he could feel the AlterG making his legs stronger and was able to walk for a longer period of time. View his video here.

Caryn Freyer, 46, fractured her right ankle and said, "As the pressure was taken off of my ankle, I felt more mobility in my feet."

Do you have ideas for upcoming columns, know an athletic enthusiast, want to ask a question or can put me in touch with people who are creating a healthier West Orange? E-mail Hurtado. Hurtado is an enthusiastic fitness expert with years of experience and has spent nearly a decade on the business side of publishing as a Beauty Director at magazines such as Mademoiselle and Seventeen.