Patients who have undergone joint replacement surgery are benefiting from a machine that typically is used by space travelers, according to a published report.
A person holding a physical therapy job advised Josette Sykes to work on recouping with the assistance of an anti-gravity treadmill earlier this month, roughly three months after she had her knee replaced, CNN reports. Patients feel as if they are walking and running on air, which reduces pressure applied to joints.
"All those compensations that you develop after surgery or an injury that delays your rehab in progress, we can eliminate all of those while you are on here," physical therapist Josh Billings with Harborview Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy told the news source. "High level athletes, to joint replacements to fractures: pretty much any lower extremity injury, anything where weight bearing is a factor, this is helpful for."
Sykes noted how much she adores the machine, drawing parallels to walking in the skies since she does not encounter any pain or stress.
One responsibility of physical therapists is to aid the recovery of people who have endured injuries and illness, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.