Gait analysis in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can evaluate your movement to offer better treatment and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete recovering 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 tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or influences movement health
• Assess and track 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 Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or request an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by licensed physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment 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 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 your overall movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Bellefontaine Neighbors, 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 Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it provides essential data to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO:

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge in their sport — Correct form becomes increasingly important at the highest level of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing 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 recovering and developing strength correctly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience positives 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 veteran, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the right footwear, which, along with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically disrupt your movement health, in addition to causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices specifically designed to your body and lifestyle. It can also support you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly influence our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to lessen pressure on sore joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the experiences you cherish.

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 approach entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your movement health and readily spot any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment of the therapist to draw conclusions.
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, quantifiable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables more in-depth analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO possesses the capabilities and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to fulfill your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

At Axes, our primary goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool that can help our patients in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined 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 interprets that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and compared against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to delivering our Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your individualized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, speak with your doctor to determine if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a detailed patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other measurable information and indicators, to constantly evaluate your growth and modify your treatment plan as needed.

Axes delivers 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 offers a committed team of physical therapists in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO who are driven to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Bellefontaine Neighbors, 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 Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly improve your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that involves flying down the court or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the limited number of clinics in the Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO is right for you.