The Benefits of Treadmills vs Anti-Gravity Treadmills

In-Service Project

PTH 655: Teaching and Learning in Physical Therapy

Central Michigan University Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy

Presented By: Alexander Gentile SPT, BS

08/03/16
PART 1: INSTRUCTIONAL CONDITIONS
A. Instructional Scenario
1. Audience Characteristics: The audience for this presentation will be 56 physical

therapy students as well as one professor. It is assumed that the students will have a

base knowledge on treadmills but will have little knowledge on anti-gravity

treadmills. The students have had exposure to treadmills throughout their lives and

on their previous six week clinical internships. Some may have been lucky enough to

have worked with anti-gravity treadmills during their six week clinical internships

also.
2. Situational Characteristics: This presentation will be done in a classroom at Central

Michigan Universitys Health Professions building. This classroom will be filled

with 45 students plus the one professor and will be live broadcast to the remaining 12

students in Central Michigan Universitys satellite program in Houghton, MI. The in-

service presentation will be one hour in length and will occur sometime between

10:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. on August 4, 2016. The first 40 minutes of the one hour

time block will be dedicated to increasing the students knowledge on treadmills and

developing a base knowledge on anti-gravity treadmills. The remaining 20 minutes

will be spent performing a pre-test, post-test and answering additional questions. The

room is set up with 4 large TV screens in the front of the classroom and 2 large TV

screens in the back of the classroom. The PowerPoint presentation will be put up on

five of the screens while one screen will be dedicated to the live streaming technology

so I can communicate face-to-face with the satellite group in Houghton. There is a

table at the front of the room in front of the students that is dedicated to the presenter

where I will be manipulating the PowerPoint from the two small computer screens.
 The room has three rows of desks facing the front in a horseshoe shape where the

students in Mount Pleasant will sit.

3. Subject Matter Characteristics: For students to get the most out of this presentation

there needs to be sufficient information supplied about treadmills, anti-gravity

treadmills and their similarities/differences to develop the desired knowledge base.

General understanding of what treadmills are and how they operate will be necessary.

As well as general knowledge of the mechanics different of different musculoskeletal,

neuromuscular and neurological pathologies/disabilities. Basic knowledge of

rehabilitation procedures will be necessary as well. A PowerPoint presentation will

be used to present the previously discussed information to the students.

B. Goals and Objectives
1. Broad Goals
a. The learner will understand the health benefits and capabilities of a regular

treadmill in physical therapy and exercise.

b. The learner will understand that anti-gravity treadmills share the same health

benefits and capabilities as regular treadmills in physical therapy and exercise.

 c. The learner will develop a knowledge base about how anti-gravity treadmills

surpass regular treadmills in health benefits, capabilities and therapeutic

rehabilitation potential.
2. Specific Objectives
a. Cognitive
i. The learner will be able to identify appropriate patients for using either

regular treadmills or anti-gravity treadmills.

ii. The learner will be able to explain to patients how an anti-gravity

treadmill works and why it will help the patient in their recovery.
b. Psychomotor
i. The learner will be able to determine the proper time to transition a

patient from anti-gravity treadmills to regular treadmills in a physical

therapy clinic.
c. Affective
i. The learner will understand the value of having an anti-gravity

treadmill instead of a regular treadmill in their physical therapy clinic.

ii. The learner will recognize the superior healing capabilities of an anti-

gravity treadmill as compared to a regular treadmill in a physical

therapy clinic.

PART 2: INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES AND METHODS

A. An outline is being included for this presentation in the form of a PowerPoint outline.
B. This outline demonstrates my plans for the presentation including the sequence that the

information will be delivered. During the one hour block of this presentation I will use

40 minutes to present the PowerPoint slides that include the information and pictures of

the different devices. I intend to use the first five minutes and five minutes after the

PowerPoint presentation to administer the pre-test and post-test respectively. I will use

the remaining ten minutes for any remaining questions the students may have on the

subject matter.
 C. I will practice giving the presentation several times prior to the actual presentation to

work out the timing of the presentation. In order to stay on track I will have a written

paragraph of what I want to say for each slide as well as how much time should be spent

on each slide. So this way if I get stage fright I will not forget any important information

and I can keep the timing of the presentation on track.

PART 3: IMPLEMENT THE INSTRUCTION

A. In order to deliver the information I will use a printout of my PowerPoint slides that

includes a notes section that will have a paragraph of everything I want to say for each

individual slide. The learners will be provided with an outline copy of my PowerPoint

presentation that will not include my notes for each slide. Also they will be provided

with the reverence list so that they perform their own research if this topic interests them.

PART 4: EVALUATE INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES

A. To evaluate the learners knowledge before and after the presentation I will prepare a one

page pre-test/post-test. The pre-test will be administered at the beginning of the

presentation and the post-test after I conclude my PowerPoint presentation. The tests will

be identical to assess if the students learned anything about the subject matter that they

didnt know before the presentation. Both of the test should only take about five minutes

each to complete.

Pre-Test

This pre-test was designed to give me feedback on your current knowledge on the presentation
subject matter. This test is one sided and you will have five minutes to complete.
1) What are the health benefits from walking on a treadmill?
a) Increased muscle strength and tone
b) Decreased bone density
c) Increased cardiovascular fitness
 d) A & C
e) All of the above

2) True or False. The health benefits of walking on a regular treadmill are different than those
of walking on an anti-gravity treadmill.

3) Regular treadmills are superior to anti-gravity treadmills because they:

a) Allow for patients to rehab with less pain
b) Reduce the risk of re-injury
c) Can act as a therapeutic device or a wellness device
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

4) True or False. Alter G treadmills use the buoyancy of water to help support the body upright
and allow for decreased stress on the affected joints.

5) The US 4712788 A is an aquatic exercise apparatus that:

a) Is wheel chair accessible
b) Has an electric powered water lift
c) Has only one level of submersion
d) A & C
e) All the above

6) The Alter G treadmill has no significant effect on all of the following except:
a) Stride length
b) Ankle and knee ROM
c) Muscle EMG firing
d) Muscle EMG peak amplitude

Post-Test

This post-test was developed to give me feedback on if you gained knowledge from the
presentation about the subject matter. It will give me feedback on my presentation and allow me
to make future adjustments. This test is one sided and should only take five minutes at most.
1) What are the health benefits from walking on a treadmill?
a) Increased muscle strength and tone
b) Decreased bone density
 c) Increased cardiovascular fitness
d) A & C
e) All of the above

2) True or False. The health benefits of walking on a regular treadmill are different than those
of walking on an anti-gravity treadmill.

3) Regular treadmills are superior to anti-gravity treadmills because they:

a) Allow for patients to rehab with less pain
b) Reduce the risk of re-injury
c) Can act as a therapeutic device or a wellness device
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

4) True or False. Alter G treadmills use the buoyancy of water to help support the body upright
and allow for decreased stress on the affected joints.

5) The US 4712788 A is an aquatic exercise apparatus that:

a) Is wheel chair accessible
b) Has an electric powered water lift
c) Has only one level of submersion
d) A & C
e) All the above

6) The Alter G treadmill has no significant effect on all of the following except:
a) Stride length
b) Ankle and knee ROM
c) Muscle EMG firing
d) Muscle EMG peak amplitude

References
1. Dr. Tina M. St. John s. What Are the Benefits of Treadmill Walking?.
Healthylivingazcentralcom. 2016. Available at:
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/benefits-treadmill-walking-4261.html. Accessed July
28, 2016
2. Treadmills for Exercise and Pain Relief. Spine-health. 2016. Available at:
http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/treadmills-exercise-and-pain-relief.
Accessed July 28, 2016.
3. Allen JAllen J. Benefits of Treadmill Exercise. LIVESTRONGCOM. 2013. Available at:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/342795-benefits-of-treadmill-exercise/. Accessed July
28, 2016.
4. Draovitch P, Maschi R, Hettler J. Return to sport following hip injury. Current Reviews in
Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2012;5(1):9-14. doi:10.1007/s12178-011-9106-7.
5. Gaudreau Jr. C. US4712788 (A) - Aquatic exercise apparatus. 1987.
6. Altergcom. 2016. Available at: http://www.alterg.com/products/anti-gravity-
treadmills/m320-f320/professional-pt. Accessed July 30, 2016.