Photo by Spc. Darrell Lavoie, Warrior Transition Brigade Staff Sgt. Guillermo Castillo uses the new equipment in the Military Amputee Training Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

ìAdapting to the physical changes that result from serious injury is no easy task,î said Maj. Gen. Carla G. Hawley-Bowland, commanding general of North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. ìWe have to ensure that our patientsí rehabilitation does not cause them further harm.

ìDuring the recovery process, efforts to learn how to use an artificial limb, or to regain use of a damaged limb, can be hindered if the limb is not strong enough to support the patientís weight, particularly in situations such as running or walking for exercise,î Hawley-Bowland added.

The G Trainer has technology originally developed by NASA. Receipt of the G Trainer, arranged by the Walter Reed Society, will enable patients to use their natural body movements and normal strides while recovering from an injury or surgery, which means they can condition muscles more thoroughly. Air pressure is used to allow individuals to set body weight as low as 20 percent.

Staff Sgt. Guillermo Castillo, an amputee who uses the equipment at the Military Advanced Training Center, explained, ìThe challenges we face while recovering are both physical and mental. This really helps give me the peace of mind I need. I feel like I used to feel running with my troops at my side.î

Chuck Scoville, WRAMCís chief of Amputee Service, added, ìEverything we do here is state-of-the-art, it has to be. They [wounded servicemembers] put more effort into their recovery than most people do in their daily lives. This is another tool to reach a higher goal in recovery.î