Gait analysis in Calverton Park, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to evaluate your movement to offer better treatment and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Calverton Park, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Calverton Park, MO, our staff of physical therapists are devoted to one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or schedule 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 assessment 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 combination 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 Calverton Park, 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 Calverton Park, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Calverton Park, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers valuable insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Calverton Park, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes crucial at the peak of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track how your recovery’s going and verify that your body is recuperating and building strength adequately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience positives from gait analysis in aiding your healing from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can assist you in finding the right footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, save energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically disrupt your mobility health, as well as causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore help you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly impact our day-to-day functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or just enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Calverton Park, MO will utilize gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in getting back to the pursuits you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait in real time and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your mobility health and easily detect any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise 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 deliver objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Calverton Park, MO has the ability and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Calverton Park, MO

At Axes, our main aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool that can help our patients in Calverton Park, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Calverton Park, MO, our expert physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to recommend efficient, 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 Calverton Park, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our Calverton Park, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, speak with your doctor to determine if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and indicators, to constantly assess your progress and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers a lot more than just a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in Calverton Park, MO who are determined to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Calverton Park, MO include:

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Calverton Park, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly improve your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that means gliding down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are among the limited number of clinics in the Calverton Park, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Calverton Park, MO is appropriate for you.