Space-age anti-gravity treadmills? Check.

Ever wanted to try space walking but don’t want to go through the countless years of school and puke-inducing training flights to do it? Rochester’s got you covered.

Local multi-site agency Agape Physical Therapy has been using AlterG anti-gravity treadmills for over a year, leveraging weightlessness to help heal injuries, aid weight loss and allow nearly immobile patients to walk again.

The treadmills use air bubbles that encircle users’ lower bodies to essentially remove body weight in different percentages, so the user feels less pressure on muscles and joints while running or walking. A patient is sealed into the bubble from the waist down using special zip-in shorts.

“It takes the pressure off while still giving a cardio workout,” said physical therapist Adam Krahmer. At its highest setting, an AlterG treadmill can remove 80 percent of a patient’s body weight.

Agape has two treadmills at its Webster location, and one at each of its other three locations in Chili, Gates and Brockport. At his base location in Chili, the treadmill is scheduled for at least 10 people per day between three therapists, said Krahmer.

An average patient might come in with a knee replacement or a stress fracture, or having been in a wheelchair after a stroke, said Krahmer. Based on the patient’s specific plan, he’ll use various amounts of time, speed or body weight on the treadmill to get the person to a healthier, more mobile state.

Agape’s treadmills are open for everyone to use, not just physical therapy patients — runners have used them in the past if an untimely injury interrupts a crucial training period. Some treadmills have live cameras aimed at different angles around the machine to help patients watch their body movement and correct bad habits.

Anti-gravity treadmills are also mainstays among NFL or NBA professional sports teams, said Agape Executive Vice President Jason Wambold.

Many people ask how the machines might be different than water aerobics, he said. Answer: The treadmills recreate a running environment nearly equivalent to running on land, whereas moving through water involves resistance and disrupts a normal running gait.

The idea for the treadmills came about from a NASA engineer trying to come up with a machine for astronaut training. Later, he and his son perfected the technology in their California garage to create the first working prototype in 2005.

This kind of cutting-edge technology rarely makes it to outpatient facilities, said Wambold — often major health innovation stays within hospital walls. Another reason you don’t see anti-gravity treadmills at your gym or physical therapy facility is the price tag — they run into the tens of thousands to buy, and cost around $25 for 30 minutes of use.

But it’s worth it for Agape, where therapists get to see patients walk or train again after a debilitating illness or injury.

“Someone might have been spending most of their days in a wheelchair, and they can walk further than they ever have in years,” said Krahmer.

STADDEO@Gannett.com