Gait analysis in Bridgeton, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to evaluate your mobility to offer personalized treatment and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Bridgeton, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or affects movement health
• Measure and follow 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 Bridgeton, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done 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 progress of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the product of a multitude 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 Bridgeton, 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 Bridgeton, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Bridgeton, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it offers essential insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized care. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Bridgeton, MO:

• Athletes looking for a performance boost — Correct form becomes crucial at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength 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 monitor how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is healing and building 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 derive 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 runner, gait analysis can aid you in finding the right footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly impede your mobility health, along with 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 furthermore support you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its function and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly affect our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in finding ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, mitigate injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

No matter why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or just engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Bridgeton, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in returning to the pursuits 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 technique entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to acquire a broad overview of your movement health and effortlessly detect any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes 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 provide objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more in-depth analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Bridgeton, MO possesses the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to meet your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Bridgeton, MO

At Axes, our primary goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Bridgeton, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Bridgeton, MO, our expert physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that hard data into useful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and compared against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Bridgeton, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to providing our Bridgeton, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your customized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the results of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other measurable information and indicators, to continuously review your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers a lot more than just a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Bridgeton, MO who are motivated to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Bridgeton, MO include:

• Shoulder Pain Treatment
• Back Pain Treatment
• 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

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Bridgeton, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly improve your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that involves gliding down the court or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to providing customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the few clinics in the Bridgeton, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Bridgeton, MO is appropriate for you.