Gait analysis in Avon, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can examine your movement to offer personalized care and get you back to the things you like doing most. 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 treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or influences movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

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

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding 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 result 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 Avon, 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 Avon, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Avon, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it provides essential information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Avon, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes essential at the peak of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and verify that your body is recovering and gaining strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience advantages from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can help you in finding the right footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your mobility health, in addition to causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can additionally assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and comfort.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly influence our daily lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in identifying ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or just enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Avon, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in getting back to the activities you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two main 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 via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your mobility health and easily detect any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater thorough analysis and tracking of your improvement 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 Avon, MO possesses the ability and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Avon, MO

At Axes, our main objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Avon, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Avon, MO, our expert physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Avon, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Avon, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, consult your doctor to determine if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a detailed history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the findings of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other measurable information and markers, to consistently review your progress and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers much more than just a list of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Avon, MO who are motivated to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Avon, 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 Avon, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that involves moving down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to offering personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re among the few clinics in the Avon, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Avon, MO is appropriate for you.