New Technology Keeps Injured Runners On Track
By Pat Gallen
ELKIN'S PARK, P.A., (CBS) -- For some people, running is how they like to keep in shape. For some, injuries make that impossible.
However, there is good news in the form a new technology that can keep injured people on track.
Running is a fantastic way to increase health and wellness, but a new way of running is picking up steam. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill is designed to allow people to run or walk at less that their body weight and that helps people that are rehabbing injuries and those who are out of shape or overweight.
Steve Sepel and John Feeley of Einstein MossRehab explained to Eyewitness News, the machine's capabilities.
"We can take anywhere from one percent of their body weight up to 80 percent of their body weight off and allow them to decrease the weight when running," Feeley explained.
"If you run at about 80 percent of your weight, it's cardivascularly wise and about the same amount of exercise that you're doing," Sepel said.
As someone with knee pain, I was excited to try it.
"We zip you in so it creates a seal," Feeley said. "When we turn the machine on, it fills up with air to lift you up and it'll calibrate to your weight."
Once in the machine, at 80 percent body weight, it feels as though you're running on the moon. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill can do some amazing things for injured legs.
Feeley explained that the machine allowed an injured cross country runner to keep up with similar workouts as her team because the machine allowed her to perform the workouts at a body weight better suited for her as she rehabbed.
