What is an anti-gravity treadmill used for?

The person walks inside an inflatable chamber that seals around the waist. Air pressure lifts part of the body weight, reducing the force travelling through the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine. The physiotherapist can adjust the support while observing stride length, balance, pain, and control. This lets a patient rehearse a more natural movement pattern when full loading is uncomfortable or not yet appropriate.

It may be included after an operation, fracture, tendon problem, joint injury, or period of deconditioning. The machine is an exercise tool, not a replacement for diagnosis or a complete rehabilitation programme. It may also help someone gradually return to running by increasing load and speed in stages.

Wear comfortable clothing and suitable footwear, then explain pain, dizziness, numbness, or instability before starting. The therapist will set the amount of body-weight support and treadmill speed, check your walking pattern, and change the settings as needed. Keep your posture tall, use the handrails only as instructed, and stop if symptoms become sharp or unusual. Your home exercises, strength work, balance practice, and ordinary walking plan remain part of the programme.

Contact your clinician if exercise is followed by increasing swelling, persistent pain, loss of movement, new weakness, or worsening ability to bear weight. Stop and seek urgent help for chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting, or sudden one-sided leg swelling. A reduced-load session should not be used to push through a new injury.

Ask what level of loading is allowed, how often sessions should occur, which symptoms mean the settings need changing, and what strength or balance goals you should meet before progressing to full-weight exercise.