Gait analysis in Bethalto, IL. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can assess your movement to offer personalized treatment and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to handle chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Bethalto, IL physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that leads to pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Bethalto, IL, our team of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or schedule an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment 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 keeping you from living the life you want.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Bethalto, IL 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 Bethalto, IL physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Bethalto, IL

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it offers crucial insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more targeted and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Bethalto, IL:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes crucial at the pinnacle of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, 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 track your progress and confirm that your body is healing and developing strength appropriately.
• Others 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 gain positives from gait analysis in facilitating your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can assist you in identifying the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with additional insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, save energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly interrupt your mobility health, along with causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can also assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly affect our day-to-day lives and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can cause an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in finding ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

No matter why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Bethalto, IL will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in getting back to the activities you cherish.

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 personally observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to acquire a overall overview of your movement health and effortlessly detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise 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 deliver objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables greater in-depth analysis and tracking of your progress over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Bethalto, IL has the capacity and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to address your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Bethalto, IL

At Axes, our primary aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Bethalto, IL. When conducting gait analysis in Bethalto, IL, our experienced physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to prescribe effective, proven 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 Bethalto, IL

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our Bethalto, IL patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your personalized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, consult your doctor to determine if gait analysis might be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a detailed history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, including the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in selecting suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, drawing on insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other quantitative data and markers, to constantly review your growth and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers far more than just a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Bethalto, IL who are motivated to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Bethalto, IL 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 Bethalto, IL Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall well-being and movement health, whether that involves soaring down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to offering individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are one of the few clinics in the Bethalto, IL area that provide 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 Bethalto, IL is appropriate for you.