Gait analysis in Ballwin, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can evaluate your movement 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 chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that leads to pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow 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 Ballwin, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation 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 your overall movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Ballwin, 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 precise insights into your gait, your Ballwin, MO 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 Ballwin, MO

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

• Athletes desiring a performance boost — Proper form becomes crucial at the zenith 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 recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor how your recovery’s going and confirm that your body is recuperating and building strength correctly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain advantages from gait analysis in aiding your healing from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can aid you in finding the right footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically impede your movement health, in addition to resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can additionally assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly influence our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can cause an elevated risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in finding ways to relieve pressure on aching joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Ballwin, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in getting back to the pursuits you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically 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 via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to acquire a broad assessment of your mobility health and easily identify any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables greater thorough analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Ballwin, MO has the ability and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Ballwin, MO

At Axes, our main focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool to support our patients in Ballwin, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Ballwin, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined 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 converts that hard data into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to recommend efficient, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Ballwin, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to providing our Ballwin, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your individualized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, consult your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking suitable footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, together with other measurable data and markers, to continuously evaluate your progress and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes provides much more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Ballwin, MO who are driven to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Ballwin, 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 Ballwin, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that means flying down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the limited number of clinics in the Ballwin, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Ballwin, MO is suitable for you.