The Anti-Gravity Treadmill Explained

0:00 Bodies, [music] where would we be

0:01 without them?

0:02 That's a question for a

0:03 more metaphysical show.

0:04 We're here for science stuff.

0:06 Like how does a

0:07 physiatrist help [music] bodies recover

0:08 from injury?

0:09 Fig has the story.

0:13 Physicians treat illnesses, pharmacists

0:16 provide medication, Frank is a pretty

0:19 decent plumber, but what's a physiatrist

0:21 do?

0:22 To find out, [music] today we're

0:24 talking to Dr.

0:24 Monica Roe.

0:26 I was around 12 years old.

0:28 I was playing basketball, [music] basketball was my

0:30 life, and I had knee pain.

0:31 My mom took me to the doctor because the pain was

0:34 pretty bad, and the doctor basically

0:36 told [music] me to stop playing.

0:38 I was pretty devastated because I felt that if

0:40 I was a 12-year-old boy, we would have

0:42 had a totally different [music]

0:43 conversation, and that he would have

0:45 been more sympathetic.

0:47 I immediately turned to my mom and said,

0:49 "We have to find a female sports

0:51 medicine doctor." She looked, but

0:53 basically told me she couldn't find one.

0:56 And that's basically the moment where I

0:57 decided that I wanted to be a female

0:59 [music] sports medicine doctor.

1:01 Monica took that passion for sports medicine to

1:03 the next level, becoming the team

1:05 physician for the US Women's National

1:08 Soccer Team, [music] and a physiatrist

1:10 at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in

1:12 Chicago.

1:13 So, what exactly is a

1:14 physiatrist?

1:15 How did you get into this?

1:17 I am a physician.

1:18 Um I went to medical

1:19 school, and I specialized in physical

1:21 medicine and rehabilitation.

1:23 Physiatrists essentially uh work on the

1:25 function of people, and they improve

1:27 function across all different abilities.

1:29 [music] That will range anywhere from taking

1:32 care of elite athletes like I do to you

1:35 know, taking care of people who've had a

1:36 neurologic issue like a stroke or a

1:38 spinal cord injury or a traumatic brain

1:40 injury.

1:40 [music] So, that's essentially

1:42 what a physiatrist does.

1:43 We try to get

1:43 people back to living their life.

1:45 Monica and her team of physical and

1:47 occupational therapists [music] work out

1:49 of this cutting-edge facility where they

1:51 help patients with technology like the

1:53 anti-gravity treadmill.

1:55 This technology was [music] first

1:57 developed by NASA for astronauts to use

1:59 in space.

2:02 A tightly sealed bubble surrounds the

2:04 patient's [music] lower body, allowing a cushion of air to

2:07 support their weight as they walk, jog,

2:08 or run.

2:10 When I'm typically running, you know, on

2:12 a regular day outside, I feel a lot of

2:14 weight bringing me down, but this is

2:16 really holding me up.

2:18 And it almost feels like if I was to be running on

2:20 Mars or the moon.

2:23 But before you learn to run, you need to

2:25 learn how to walk.

2:26 And many patients build strength and [music] confidence

2:28 using the lab's body weight-supporting

2:30 harnesses.

2:31 Walking is an essential

2:33 function that a lot of people really

2:35 want to get back [music] to,

2:36 particularly after a devastating injury.

2:38 So, this helps people get back a sense

2:41 of normalcy

2:43 [music]

2:42 uh when they're trying to learn how to

2:44 walk again.

2:45 When you build someone's

2:46 confidence going up and down these

2:47 stairs, [music] then after some time,

2:50 once their confidence is built, you can

2:51 get them going up a long flight of

2:53 stairs like that.

2:54 What's also really nice about this is if they

2:57 lose their confidence halfway through,

2:59 we can actually pull them off the

3:01 stairs, float them up, and then float

3:04 them down gently [music]

3:05 back to this base landing.

3:07 So, are you ready to try it out?

3:08 Physiatry [music] is a team-based

3:10 approach to care, so Monica has one of

3:12 her expert physical therapist, Holly,

3:14 come help.

3:15 Do you feel like it's

3:16 supporting you?

3:16 I think I can let my weight go here and

3:18 just kind of hang.

3:20 Yeah.

3:21 With her joystick, Holly can

3:22 adjust how fast we move and how much

3:24 support the harness gives.

3:26 Basically, the harness will catch you.

3:28 Right.

3:28 So, you can't fall.

3:29 So, if I tripped,

3:30 [music] I would just fall into the

3:32 harness.

3:33 Exactly.

3:33 Like this.

3:34 To see yourself walking up [music] the

3:36 stairs in front of this mirror, it's

3:38 like taking seeing is believing to the

3:40 next level.

3:41 We think the mirror is super

3:42 helpful for in a patient's recovery

3:44 because they can envision themselves

3:46 walking up those stairs, and they can

3:48 see themselves actually doing it.

3:50 So, it's really helpful for their

3:51 motivation.

3:52 Okay, I have one last

3:54 question.

3:55 Can I fly down these stairs?

3:58 All right, Holly, you want [music] to make her fly?

4:00 Got it.

4:02 Look, Mom, I'm flying!

4:05 It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Fig!

4:07 Okay, this is more for therapy, not

4:11 thrills.

4:11 It's more floating than flying.

4:16 If you're watching this, you must have

4:18 really liked the video.

4:20 [clears throat]

4:19 Make sure you follow and subscribe, and

4:21 check out these other videos [music]

4:23 that are even better.

4:24 No, really.

4:25 I've seen this one over a hundred [music]

4:27 times.