The AlterG anti-gravity treadmill uses air pressure to reduce the weight placed on your legs while walking or running — offering real benefits after surgery and injury by allowing movement to begin sooner and more comfortably than would otherwise be possible.
How the AlterG works
The AlterG uses a pressurised air chamber around the lower body to reduce a person's effective bodyweight during walking or running, by as much as 80% in some cases. This dramatically reduces the load through joints and healing tissue, while still allowing genuine functional movement practice.
Who can benefit?
- Post-surgical patients — particularly following lower limb surgery, allowing gait retraining to begin earlier in a protected, reduced-load environment
- Runners returning from injury — enabling a graded return to running mechanics without full impact load
- People with joint pain — such as knee or hip osteoarthritis, who may struggle with full weight-bearing exercise
- Neurological rehabilitation — providing a supported environment for gait retraining
The benefits of reduced-weight-bearing training
Training at reduced bodyweight allows earlier reintroduction of walking and running mechanics, helps maintain cardiovascular fitness during recovery when full-impact exercise isn't yet possible, supports correct movement patterns before progressing to full-impact activity, and can help rebuild confidence in movement after injury or surgery.
What a session looks like
Sessions are tailored to your specific goals and recovery stage — starting at a higher level of bodyweight support and gradually reducing it as strength, confidence and healing progress, working toward full-weight-bearing activity.
Part of a complete rehabilitation program
Anti-gravity treadmill training is most effective as one component of a broader, individualised physiotherapy program that also addresses strength, flexibility and the specific factors behind your injury or condition.
If you're recovering from injury or surgery and think reduced-weight-bearing training could help, contact our team to discuss whether it's the right fit for your recovery.
Written by Aaron Babb, MAppSc Physiotherapy — Founder & Director, Aevum Health & Physiotherapy.