Gait analysis in Bella Villa, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to evaluate your movement to offer better care and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Bella Villa, 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
• 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 Bella Villa, 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 would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or make an appointment through our website 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 understanding how you walk and run, 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 variety 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 Bella Villa, 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 Bella Villa, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Bella Villa, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it offers important information to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Bella Villa, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive advantage — Correct form becomes crucial at the pinnacle of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and confirm that your body is recovering and building strength adequately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive 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 veteran, gait analysis can aid you in finding the suitable footwear, which, coupled with additional insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, conserve energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly interrupt your mobility health, in addition to causing 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 acclimating to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly influence our day-to-day functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can cause an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in discovering ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or just enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Bella Villa, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in returning to the experiences you love.

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 personally observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a broad overview of your movement health and readily spot any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
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 concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater thorough analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Bella Villa, MO possesses the capabilities and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to address your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Bella Villa, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in Bella Villa, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Bella Villa, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on 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 review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Bella Villa, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our Bella Villa, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, integrating the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, drawing on insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other quantitative data and indicators, to constantly review your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers a lot more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Bella Villa, MO who are driven to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Bella Villa, MO include:

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Bella Villa, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall well-being and performance, whether that means gliding down the court or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are one of the limited number of clinics in the Bella Villa, 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 determine if gait analysis in Bella Villa, MO is suitable for you.