Gait analysis in Alton, IL. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can assess your mobility to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the things you enjoy most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Alton, IL physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or affects movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Alton, IL, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about how you walk and run, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress of injury rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a multitude of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at what may be keeping you from living the life you want.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Alton, IL will look at:

• Step length and width
• Cadence (number of steps taken per minute)
• Foot and ankle alignment to see if you have tendencies towards pronation (inward rolling) or supination (outward rolling)
• Joint movement and range of motion
• Movement of the pelvis to see if there is excessive rotating or titling
• Stability, balance, and body sway (the amount of lateral movement)
• Step repeatability (the similarity of your steps)

With precise insights into your gait, your Alton, IL physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you achieve the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Alton, IL

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it offers essential data to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Alton, IL:

• Athletes searching for a performance boost — Proper form becomes essential at the pinnacle of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and confirm that your body is recuperating and developing strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience positives from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, along with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and reduce the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your movement health, in addition to resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore assist you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly influence our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in discovering ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, reduce injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Alton, IL will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a general overview of your mobility health and readily identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, measurable data about your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables greater in-depth analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Alton, IL possesses the capabilities and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to meet your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Alton, IL

At Axes, our main aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool to support our patients in Alton, IL. When conducting gait analysis in Alton, IL, our highly skilled physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that hard data into useful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Alton, IL

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our Alton, IL patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your individualized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll perform a thorough patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other measurable information and indicators, to consistently assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers far more than simply a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Alton, IL who are motivated to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Alton, IL include:

• Physical Therapy Clinic
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
• Sciatica Treatment
• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Alton, IL Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that involves soaring down the court or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the few clinics in the Alton, IL area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Alton, IL is appropriate for you.