Snap, Crack, Pop

As prominent athletes tout the healing powers of sports-medicine procedures, the tools used by the pros and their doctors are trickling down to weekend warriors. But what really works, and what’s nothing more than hype? A look at the front lines of sports medicine in Colorado.

TECH: Zero Gravity

How the anti-gravity AlterG treadmill can make you better, faster.

If you’ve ever dreamed of running on the moon, the AlterG treadmill is about as close as you’ll likely ever get. Used at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and other rehabilitation centers in the metro area, the AlterG shoots air into a closed chamber that encases the user from the waist down. The result: much-needed low-impact exercise sessions for people rehabilitating from injuries or medical procedures. “It allows them to run through nagging aches and pains that may otherwise decrease the volume or intensity of a workout,” says Jason Amrich, director of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. AlterG sessions are $65/hour at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, bouldersportsmedicine.org, 303-544-5700.