Gait analysis in Arcadia, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can evaluate your mobility to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Arcadia, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow 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 Arcadia, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or schedule an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done 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 status of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a variety 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 Arcadia, MO 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 a accurate understanding of your gait, your Arcadia, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Arcadia, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it offers essential data to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more focused and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Arcadia, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive advantage — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle 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 verify that your body is recovering and building strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience positives from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can help you in finding the suitable footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, save energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically impede your mobility 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 also support you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its function and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly influence our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in finding ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

No matter why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Arcadia, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the pursuits you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to acquire a general assessment of your movement health and easily identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, measurable data regarding your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and monitoring of your improvement over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Arcadia, MO has the capabilities and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Arcadia, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every available tool that can help our patients in Arcadia, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Arcadia, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complex data into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to prescribe efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Arcadia, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to providing our Arcadia, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed patient interview and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in selecting proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and indicators, to constantly assess your progress and adapt your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers a lot more than simply a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Arcadia, MO who are determined to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Arcadia, MO include:

• Back Pain Treatment
• Neck Pain Treatment
• 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

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Arcadia, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall health and movement health, whether that involves flying down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to offering personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the few clinics in the Arcadia, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Arcadia, MO is right for you.