Gait analysis in Chain of Rocks, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can examine your mobility to offer better therapy and return you to the things you like doing most. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to handle chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Chain of Rocks, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or affects movement health
• Assess and track 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 Chain of Rocks, MO, our team 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 closest to you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by licensed physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment 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 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 Chain of Rocks, 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 Chain of Rocks, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Chain of Rocks, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy by itself, it provides valuable insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and customized care. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Chain of Rocks, MO:

• Athletes seeking a performance boost — Proper form becomes vital at the highest level of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address 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 track your progress and ensure that your body is recuperating and gaining strength adequately.
• Others 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 benefits from gait analysis in facilitating your healing from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can help you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your mobility health, in addition to causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can also support you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly affect our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can cause an heightened risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Chain of Rocks, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the activities you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a general assessment of your mobility health and effortlessly detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data regarding your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables greater in-depth analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Chain of Rocks, MO has the capacity and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Chain of Rocks, MO

At Axes, our main goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool that can help our patients in Chain of Rocks, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Chain of Rocks, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ innovative 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 motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complex data into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and compared against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Chain of Rocks, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our Chain of Rocks, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll perform a detailed 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 holistic treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and markers, to constantly evaluate your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes delivers far more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and cutting-edge technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Chain of Rocks, MO who are motivated to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Chain of Rocks, 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 Chain of Rocks, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly contribute to your overall health and movement health, whether that involves soaring down the court or climbing stairs without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re the few clinics in the Chain of Rocks, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Chain of Rocks, MO is suitable for you.