Gait analysis in Bonne Terre, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to examine your mobility to offer better therapy and get you back to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to cope with chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Bonne Terre, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor 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 Bonne Terre, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation 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 recovery, 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 Bonne Terre, 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 Bonne Terre, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Bonne Terre, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it offers important insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Bonne Terre, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the pinnacle of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming back 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 building strength appropriately.
• 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 derive positives from gait analysis in aiding your recovery from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can help you in finding the right footwear, which, along with additional insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, conserve energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly disrupt your mobility health, along with 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 assist you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its performance and convenience.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly affect our everyday 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 lose strength as we age. This can result in an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in discovering ways to relieve pressure on aching joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to ultimately run that marathon or just engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Bonne Terre, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in getting back to the experiences 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 directly observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a broad overview of your mobility health and effortlessly spot any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the clinical expertise of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows greater thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over a period of time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Bonne Terre, MO possesses the capabilities and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Bonne Terre, MO

At Axes, our main objective is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool that can help our patients in Bonne Terre, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Bonne Terre, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ 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 movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complex data into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Bonne Terre, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Bonne Terre, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, consult your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis could be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a comprehensive history taking and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the insights from gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other measurable information and indicators, to consistently review your growth and adapt your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers a lot more than simply a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Bonne Terre, MO who are motivated to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Bonne Terre, 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 Bonne Terre, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that involves gliding down the court or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re among the few clinics in the Bonne Terre, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Bonne Terre, MO is suitable for you.