Run earlier.
Heal smarter.
The anti-gravity treadmill lets you walk and run with reduced body weight — earlier, safer, and without losing your natural movement.
- Up to 80% body-weight support
- ACL, stress fractures, Achilles & more
- Elite athletes & everyday patients
The anti-gravity treadmill
At SportsFit Five Dock we use the BTL R-Force — one of the most advanced partial body-weight support systems available in clinical practice. A sealed air-pressurised chamber gently lifts you, removing up to 80% of your body weight while you walk or run with a completely natural gait.
Traditional protocols keep runners on the ground until forces settle. The R-Force changes the equation — the movement pattern of running can be reintroduced weeks earlier, without the loading that creates risk.
| BTL R-Force | AlterG | |
|---|---|---|
| Body-weight support | Up to 80% | Up to 80% |
| Natural gait preserved | Yes | Yes |
| Precise incremental loading | 1% steps | Fixed steps |
| Available at SportsFit Five Dock | Yes | — |
Key effects of anti-gravity running
Reduce load without losing the movement — the exact combination injured runners need to progress.
Reduced ground forces
Body-weight support cuts the impact forces travelling up through the leg with every stride.
Less joint & bone loading
Compressive and shear load through healing joints and bone is dramatically lowered.
Natural gait preserved
You run with your real running pattern — not an altered, compensated one.
Fitness maintained
Keep cardiovascular conditioning through recovery instead of losing it.
Controlled progression
Support is dialled down in small, criteria-based steps as tissue tolerates more.
Earlier return to run
Reintroduce running weeks earlier than traditional ground-only timelines allow.
What running looks like inside
You step into a sealed chamber that zips around your waist. As it gently pressurises, it lifts a precise percentage of your body weight — you feel lighter, but you move exactly as you would on the ground.
Because the support is even and continuous, there's no harness pulling you off-balance and no altered mechanics. That movement specificity is what makes the carry-over to outdoor running so clean.
Conditions we treat
Structured, criteria-based anti-gravity protocols for the injuries where load management matters most.
Return to running from Week 8–10 with graft-protective loading.
View protocol → Tibial Stress FractureMaintain fitness through bone healing with a graduated return.
View protocol → Achilles TendinopathyReintroduce running load without Achilles flare-ups.
View protocol → Knee OsteoarthritisWalk and jog with significantly reduced joint compression.
View protocol → Discogenic Low Back PainReturn to running with reduced spinal loading.
View protocol → Not sure?Book a free call and we'll tell you whether it's right for your stage.
Talk to us →The treadmill in action
The BTL R-Force in our Five Dock gym.
BTL R-Force anti-gravity treadmill
The anti-gravity treadmill is one tool inside a complete physiotherapy program at SportsFit Five Dock — integrated with strength testing, rehab and return-to-sport planning.
- Air-pressure body-weight support, adjustable in fine increments
- Graded return-to-run protocols for ACL, bone stress, tendon & joint
- Used by elite athletes and everyday patients alike
- Delivered one-to-one — never double-booked
Where this fits
ACL specialist site →
Full ACL rehabilitation — prehab, post-op, the Cross Bracing Protocol and the complete return-to-performance program at Sydney ACL Physio.
Main clinic →
SportsFit Health & Rehab — sports physiotherapy, chiro, remedial massage, exercise physiology and strength & conditioning in Five Dock.
Ready to run earlier?
Book a free call with our team. We'll tell you whether you're ready to start anti-gravity running and what the protocol looks like for your stage.
No referral needed · Five Dock, Inner West Sydney · Health fund rebates available