Gait analysis in Boles, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can assess your mobility to offer personalized treatment and get you back to the things you like doing most. 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 Boles, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Boles, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about how you move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress 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 what may be affecting your movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Boles, 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 exact understanding of your gait, your Boles, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Boles, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it provides valuable insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more focused and customized care. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Boles, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive advantage — Correct form becomes increasingly important at the peak of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and verify that your body is healing and building strength appropriately.
• Anyone else 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 derive benefits from gait analysis in assisting your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can aid you in identifying the suitable footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your mobility health, as well as 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 adapting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly impact our day-to-day functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in identifying ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

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

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 approach entails a physical therapist directly watching 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 noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Boles, MO possesses the ability and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Boles, MO

At Axes, our main aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every available tool to support our patients in Boles, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Boles, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that monitor your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that complicated data into useful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to recommend effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and compared against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Boles, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our Boles, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, consult your doctor to assess if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and indicators, to constantly assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes provides far more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Boles, MO who are motivated to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Boles, 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 Boles, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly contribute to your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that means gliding down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to offering customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are among the few clinics in the Boles, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Boles, MO is appropriate for you.