Who Uses Body Weight Support Treadmills?

Body Weight Support treadmills are used by injured and healthy athletes, everyday runners and walkers, pregnant runners and physical therapists. LightSpeed Lift systems are in home gyms, college and pro training rooms, and rehab clinics.

Here's how each group uses one, mostly in the words of people who do.

Runners coming back from injury

The lift lets you run before your legs can take your full weight. Then you take it away a little at a time.

  • Brooke Rauber, NC State. After bone stress injuries: 4 to 12 weeks off, then cross-training. Next came 15 minutes on the LightSpeed Lift three days a week, built up to five days at close to full mileage, before running outside again.
  • Molly Huddle, a 2:26 marathoner. The recovery was a few weeks without bearing weight, six weeks of cross-training, then a return to running "de-weighted" on the LightSpeed Lift. In Molly's words, it still felt like a typical running form.
  • Sintayehu Vissa, Ole Miss. After ACL and PLC injuries, the first three months were rehab and strength work. Light running started around month three, on the ground and on the LightSpeed Lift.
  • Morgan McDonald, a two-time Olympian for Australia who partners with LightSpeed Lift. The lift let Morgan start running much earlier in each comeback.

Read the full athlete highlights

Athletes who want to stay healthy

Not everyone waits for an injury.

  • Roisin Willis, Stanford. While a shin healed, every run that wasn't fast on the track went on the LightSpeed Lift. Now it's once or twice a week, plus doubles, to keep from getting hurt again.
  • Gary Martin, University of Virginia. After a muscle strain, the LightSpeed Lift kept the running going while the muscle healed. It stayed in the routine through the season to keep the legs fresh.

For high school and college teams, we recommend the LSP-400. Its 2 x 3-inch steel tubing adds stability.

Runners and walkers at home

People of any age who like to walk or run use it to keep going with less impact on their joints. Jordan Hogan, a 2:20 marathoner from the University of Oregon, first got a LightSpeed Lift at home after a hamstring tear in 2019.

The LS-300 is the system made for home fitness centers.

Pregnant and postpartum runners

Some runners use it to keep running comfortably through pregnancy, and to come back afterward with less stress on bones and joints. Jordan Hogan used it through a pelvic injury from pregnancy. Always check with your physician first.

Physical therapists and clinics

Clinicians use LightSpeed Lift with adults and children for gait training, balance, strength and agility work. That includes patients with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, obesity and diabetes, always as part of their care plan.

  • Children: the Pediatric Lift Belt is made for users under 60 pounds and lifts up to 25. It lets a child stand and walk with more confidence while the therapist's hands stay free to help. Therapists use it in dynamic movement intervention, on a treadmill or a LightSpeed Lift frame.
  • Anyone at risk of falling: the LSX-500 includes an overhead safety harness that catches a fall. It's the system therapists choose for pediatric patients and fall risk.

LightSpeed Lift was designed by a physical therapist. Malcolm Macaulay, MS, PT, has practiced for 38 years. He first tested the hip-centered lift on a patient walking again after having both knees replaced.

Which system fits which group

You are Start with
A runner or walker at home LS-300 (0 to 40 lb of lift, 60 with a Super Lift Belt or Straps)
A team, gym or training room LSP-400 (0 to 60 lb)
A clinic, a pro athlete, or working with children or fall risk LSX-500 (0 to 60 lb, overhead harness)

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Roisin Willis started on LightSpeed Lift while a shin healed and now uses it once or twice a week, plus doubles, to stay healthy. Recreational runners and walkers use it for lower-impact training at home or in a gym.

Yes. Molly Huddle returned to running on it after an injury. Two-time Olympian Morgan McDonald, who partners with LightSpeed Lift, uses it to come back sooner and to stay healthy.

Yes, with the Pediatric Lift Belt, made for users under 60 pounds. Therapists use it with children in dynamic movement intervention, often on the LSX-500 with its overhead safety harness.

Some runners use it to keep running through pregnancy and to return after. Check with your physician first.

No. Walkers use it too, and clinics use it for gait training, balance, strength and agility work.

Talk to us

Tell us who will use it and why, and we'll help you pick a system. Call (218) 391-5459 or send us a message.

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