The Anti-Gravity Treadmill Explained

0:00 MIRANDA: BODIES.

0:00 WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT 'EM?

0:02 THAT’S A QUESTION FOR A MORE METAPHYSICAL SHOW.

0:04 WE’RE HERE FOR SCIENCE STUFF LIKE HOW DOES A PHYSIATRIST HELP

0:08 BODIES RECOVER FROM INJURY?

0:09 FIG HAS THE STORY.

0:12 FIG: PHYSICIANS TREAT ILLNESSES.

0:16 PHARMACISTS PROVIDE MEDICATION.

0:18 FRANK IS A PRETTY DECENT PLUMBER.

0:20 BUT WHAT DOES A PHYSIATRIST DO?

0:22 TO FIND OUT, TODAY WE’RE TALKING TO DR.

0:25 MONICA RHO.

0:26 DR.

0:26 RHO: I WAS AROUND 12 YEARS OLD.

0:28 I WAS PLAYING BASKETBALL.

0:29 BASKETBALL WAS MY LIFE.

0:30 AND I HAD KNEE PAIN.

0:32 MY MOM TOOK ME TO THE DOCTOR BECAUSE THE PAIN WAS PRETTY BAD.

0:35 AND THE DOCTOR BASICALLY TOLD ME TO STOP PLAYING.

0:38 I WAS PRETTY DEVASTATED BECAUSE I FELT THAT IF I WAS A

0:41 12-YEAR-OLD BOY WE WOULD’VE HAD A TOTALLY DIFFERENT

0:43 CONVERSATION, AND THAT HE WOULD’VE BEEN MORE SYMPATHETIC.

0:47 I IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO MY MOM AND SAID “WE HAVE TO FIND A

0:50 FEMALE SPORTS MEDICINE DOCTOR.”

0:52 SHE LOOKED BUT BASICALLY TOLD ME SHE COULDN’T FIND ONE.

0:56 AND THAT’S BASICALLY THE MOMENT WHERE I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO

0:59 BE A FEMALE SPORTS MEDICINE DOCTOR.

1:01 FIG: MONICA TOOK THAT PASSION FOR SPORTS MEDICINE TO THE NEXT

1:04 LEVEL, BECOMING THE TEAM PHYSICIAN FOR THE U.S.

1:07 WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM, AND A PHYSIATRIST AT THE SHIRLEY RYAN

1:11 ABILITY LAB IN CHICAGO.

1:13 SO, WHAT EXACTLY IS A PHYSIATRIST?

1:15 HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS?

1:17 DR.

1:17 RHO: I AM A PHYSICIAN.

1:18 I WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL AND I SPECIALIZED IN PHYSICAL MEDICINE

1:21 AND REHABILITATION.

1:23 PHYSIATRISTS ESSENTIALLY WORK ON THE FUNCTION OF PEOPLE AND THEY

1:27 IMPROVE FUNCTION ACROSS ALL DIFFERENT ABILITIES.

1:30 THAT WILL RANGE ANYWHERE FROM TAKING CARE OF ELITE ATHLETES

1:33 LIKE I DO TO, YOU KNOW, TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD A

1:36 NEUROLOGIC ISSUE LIKE A STROKE OR A SPINAL CORD INJURY OR

1:40 TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES.

1:41 SO, THAT’S ESSENTIALLY WHAT A PHYSIATRIST DOES; WE TRY TO GET

1:44 PEOPLE BACK TO LIVING THEIR LIFE.

1:45 FIG: MONICA AND HER TEAM OF PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL

1:48 THERAPISTS WORK OUT OF THIS CUTTING-EDGE FACILITY,

1:51 WHERE THEY HELP PATIENTS WITH TECHNOLOGY LIKE THE ANTI-GRAVITY

1:54 TREADMILL.

1:55 THIS TECHNOLOGY WAS FIRST DEVELOPED BY NASA FOR ASTRONAUTS

1:59 TO USE IN SPACE.

2:02 A TIGHTLY SEALED BUBBLE SURROUNDS THE PATIENT’S LOWER

2:05 BODY, ALLOWING A CUSHION OF AIR TO SUPPORT THEIR WEIGHT AS THEY

2:08 WALK, JOG OR RUN.

2:10 WHEN I’M TYPICALLY RUNNING, YOU KNOW, ON A REGULAR DAY OUTSIDE,

2:14 I FEEL A LOT OF WEIGHT BRINGING ME DOWN.

2:16 BUT THIS IS REALLY HOLDING ME UP.

2:18 AND IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE IF I WAS TO BE RUNNING ON MARS OR THE

2:21 MOON.

2:23 [DR.

2:23 RHO LAUGHS] FIG: BUT BEFORE YOU LEARN TO RUN, YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO

2:25 WALK.

2:26 AND MANY PATIENTS BUILD STRENGTH AND CONFIDENCE USING THE LAB’S

2:29 BODY WEIGHT SUPPORTING HARNESSES.

2:31 DR.

2:32 RHO: WALKING IS AN ESSENTIAL FUNCTION THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE

2:35 REALLY WANT TO GET BACK TO; PARTICULARLY AFTER A DEVASTATING

2:38 INJURY.

2:39 SO, THIS HELPS PEOPLE GET BACK A SENSE OF NORMALCY WHEN THEY’RE

2:43 TRYING TO LEARN HOW TO WALK AGAIN.

2:45 WHEN YOU BUILD SOMEONE’S CONFIDENCE GOING UP AND DOWN

2:47 THESE STAIRS, THEN AFTER SOME TIME, ONCE THEIR CONFIDENCE IS

2:51 BUILT, YOU CAN GET THEM GOING UP A LONG FLIGHT OF STAIRS LIKE

2:54 THAT.

2:54 WHAT’S ALSO REALLY NICE ABOUT THIS IS IF THEY LOSE THEIR

2:58 CONFIDENCE HALFWAY THROUGH, WE CAN ACTUALLY PULL THEM OFF THE

3:02 STAIRS, FLOAT THEM UP AND THEN FLOAT THEM DOWN GENTLY BACK TO

3:06 THIS BASE LANDING.

3:07 SO, ARE YOU READY TO TRY IT OUT?

3:08 FIG: PHYSIATRY IS A TEAM-BASED APPROACH TO CARE.

3:11 SO, MONICA HAS ONE OF HER EXPERT PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, HOLLY,

3:14 COME HELP.

3:15 DR.

3:15 RHO: DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT’S SUPPORTING YOU?

3:16 FIG: I THINK I CAN LET ME WEIGHT GO HERE AND JUST KIND OF HANG.

3:20 DR.

3:20 RHO: YEAH.

3:20 FIG: WITH HER JOYSTICK, HOLLY CAN ADJUST HOW FAST WE MOVE AND

3:24 HOW MUCH SUPPORT THE HARNESS GIVES.

3:26 DR.

3:26 RHO: BASICALLY, THE HARNESS WILL CATCH YOU.

3:28 FIG: RIGHT.

3:28 DR.

3:28 RHO: SO, YOU CAN’T FALL.

3:29 FIG: SO, IF I TRIPPED, I WOULD JUST FALL INTO THE HARNESS...

3:33 DR.

3:33 RHO: EXACTLY.

3:33 FIG: ...LIKE THIS.

3:34 TO SEE YOURSELF WALKING UP THE STAIRS IN FRONT OF THIS MIRROR,

3:38 IT’S LIKE TAKING “SEEING IS BELIEVING” TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

3:41 DR.

3:41 RHO: WE THINK THE MIRROR IS SUPER HELPFUL IN A PATIENT’S

3:44 RECOVERY BECAUSE THEY CAN ENVISION THEMSELVES WALKING UP

3:47 THOSE STAIRS AND THEY CAN SEE THEMSELVES ACTUALLY DOING IT.

3:50 SO, IT’S REALLY HELPFUL FOR THEIR MOTIVATION.

3:52 FIG: OKAY, I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION.

3:56 CAN I FLY DOWN THESE STAIRS?

3:58 DR.

3:58 RHO: ALRIGHT, HOLLY, YOU WANT TO MAKE HER FLY?

4:00 HOLLY: GOT IT.

4:01 FIG: LOOK MOM, I’M FLYING!

4:05 [FIG LAUGHS] FIG: IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S FIG!

4:08 OKAY, THIS IS BUILT FOR THERAPY, NOT THRILLS.

4:11 IT’S MORE FLOATING THAN FLYING.