Gait analysis in Beaufort, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to evaluate your mobility to offer personalized treatment and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or influences movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Beaufort, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by qualified 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 rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the product of a combination of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at what may be affecting your movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Beaufort, 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 precise understanding of your gait, your Beaufort, 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 Beaufort, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of 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 benefit a wide range of people in Beaufort, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the pinnacle of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify 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 developing strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience advantages from gait analysis in facilitating your healing 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 identifying the suitable footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically disrupt your mobility 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 furthermore help you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and comfort.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly affect our daily functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably lose strength as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to lessen pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Beaufort, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the activities 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 method entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait as you walk and through 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 depends on the clinical expertise of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables more detailed analysis and tracking 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 Beaufort, MO possesses the ability and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Beaufort, MO

At Axes, our primary 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 that can help our patients in Beaufort, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Beaufort, MO, our expert physical therapists utilize state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their professional observations to recommend effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and compared against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Beaufort, MO

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

• To begin the process, consult your doctor to determine if gait analysis could be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a thorough patient interview and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, together with other quantitative data and indicators, to consistently assess your growth and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes provides a lot more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and cutting-edge technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Beaufort, MO who are driven to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Beaufort, 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 Beaufort, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly improve your overall well-being and performance, whether that involves flying down the court or going up stairs without pain. As we are committed to offering customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are one of the few clinics in the Beaufort, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Beaufort, MO is appropriate for you.