Member Article

Speedy recovery for the Vikings at Spire

Rugby Super League team Widnes Vikings visited Spire Liverpool Hospital to use the new AlterG antigravity treadmill, improving recovery within the team.

The AlterG, now available at the Perform gym, can optimise performance by customising body weight to aid rehabilitation after injury or surgery.

With a couple of injuries in the side, the Vikings used the state of the art technology to speed up recovery and continue to train despite suffering from injury.

Andy McDonough, head of sports medicine at Widnes Vikings, said: “The AlterG at Spire Liverpool Hospital has proved to be a valuable asset in our rehabilitation repertoire at Widnes Vikings.

“It has allowed us to get players walking and running sooner and ultimately is getting them back playing quicker. It has become an integral and essential part of our treatment for some injuries. We are not in a position to have our own so the flexibility of using the one in Spire has been invaluable.”

Welsh international, Lloyd White and English professional, Kevin Brown, both found that by using the AlterG they were able to continue training while recovering from serious ankle injuries.

Kevin Brown said: “The AlterG was great for my recovery and allowed me to start running weeks before schedule, helping get movement back in my ankle and slowly build up my conditioning. Running so soon after an operation like mine was great for my confidence, as running at such low percentage of my body weight reduced the pressure on the ankle”.

The AlterG uses unweighting technology that allows the user to run at a percentage of their body weight while preserving the natural gait. This reduces the foot to ground impact that is associated with running allowing the individual to run sooner than they would normally be able to.

As well as offering sports science and training facilities in Liverpool, Perform is open to visitors at St George’s Park, official healthcare partner for Spire.

St. George’s Park is the training base for 24 England teams, the home of coaching education and a hub of activity for the local community. Over 800 elite coaches will be trained and qualified each year at St. George’s Park, helping to develop and nurture future talent.

For more information or to book a course on AlterG please contact the Physiotherapy Department on 0151 522 1863 or email ian.rodger@spirehealthcare.com (Free 15 min trials are also currently available).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Minchin .