ALTERG: AN INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN PHYSICAL ACTIVE REHABILITATION OF SPINAL STENOSIS

Background Lumbal spinal stenosis causes back pain spreading as far as the legs and thereby constrains the activities of daily living. By walking in a flexed position patients try to extend the foramina intervertebralia. Claudicatio intermittens/ spinalis forces them to stop walking and sit down, because of pain, parasthesias or paresis.1 Loss of physical activity may lead to a decline of physical condition and slowly restrict independence.2 The differential air pressure technology of AlterG treadmills reduces body weight in lower extremity up to 80% and facilitates normal postural control.5 Methods After completing physiotherapy, a 70-year-old left sided lower leg amputed man started extensive endurance training. 250 m of walking were challenging. Therefore antigravity treadmill training was initiated in April. Results Early therapy, visual analog scale (VAS) was set at 5.5. At the beginning of AlterG training, body weight was decreased by 40% up to 5% in November (VAS 0). As walking time increased (13–35min.) walking distance increased equally from 870 m to 2.4 k m. Discussion One aim of functional rehabilitation is to decrease the pain,3 keep the patient independent and thereby obtain his physical condition in order to prevent further (cardiorespiratory) diseases. One of the goals of using AlterG in rehabilitation of orthopedic patients is to restore normal walking mechanics.4 The combination of physiotherapy and AlterG training leads to absence of lower back pain, walking distance increases significantly, the patient feels safer while walking and his independence is ensured. Conclusion The use of innovative AlterG can improve postural control, increase safety while walking as well as economy of movements and thereby affect the lower back pain.