Gait analysis in Augusta, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can evaluate your mobility to offer better therapy and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that results in pain or affects movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Augusta, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or schedule an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about how you move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the status of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the product of a variety of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at your overall movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Augusta, 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 exact understanding of your gait, your Augusta, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you achieve the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Augusta, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy by itself, it offers essential insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Augusta, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge — Correct form becomes vital at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor how your recovery’s going and verify that your body is healing and developing strength appropriately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive advantages from gait analysis in assisting your healing from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can aid you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly interrupt your mobility health, as well as 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 help you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its performance and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly impact our daily functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

No matter why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply engage in your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Augusta, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the pursuits you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your mobility health and effortlessly spot any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and monitoring of your progress over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Augusta, MO has the capacity and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Augusta, MO

At Axes, our main goal is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool that can help our patients in Augusta, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Augusta, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed 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 monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Augusta, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to delivering our Augusta, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed patient interview and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the insights from gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in choosing suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and indicators, to continuously review your growth and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes provides much more than just a list 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 Augusta, MO who are motivated to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Augusta, MO include:

• 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
• Stroke Rehabilitation

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

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that means flying down the court or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re among the few clinics in the Augusta, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Augusta, MO is suitable for you.