Gait analysis in Catawissa, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to assess your movement to offer better care and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to cope with chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Catawissa, 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
• Assess and track 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 Catawissa, MO, our team of physical therapists are committed to one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or request 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 status of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a multitude 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 Catawissa, 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 Catawissa, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Catawissa, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it offers crucial 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 Catawissa, MO:

• Athletes looking for a performance boost — Correct form becomes crucial at the highest level of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and confirm that your body is recuperating and gaining strength adequately.
• Others 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 experience benefits from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can aid you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, along with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, conserve energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly 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 comfort.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly affect our everyday functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, mitigate injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Catawissa, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the pursuits you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait in real time and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a general overview of your movement health and effortlessly detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to make assessments.
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 allows more thorough analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Catawissa, MO has the ability and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to fulfill your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Catawissa, MO

At Axes, our primary focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool that can help our patients in Catawissa, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Catawissa, MO, our expert physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that record your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Catawissa, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Catawissa, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that suit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, talk to your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough patient interview and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the insights from gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create 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 support you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and markers, to consistently review your growth and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers far more than simply a list of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Catawissa, MO who are driven to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Catawissa, 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 Catawissa, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that involves moving down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re among the limited number of clinics in the Catawissa, MO area that offer 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 Catawissa, MO is appropriate for you.