Gait analysis in Clover Bottom, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to examine your mobility to offer better care and get you back to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or influences 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 Clover Bottom, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or request an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by licensed 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 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 Clover Bottom, 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 accurate understanding of your gait, your Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Clover Bottom, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it provides crucial data to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Clover Bottom, MO:

• Athletes looking for a performance boost — Proper form becomes essential at the highest level of competition. 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 how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is recovering and building strength appropriately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive benefits from gait analysis in assisting 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 help you in identifying the right footwear, which, together with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and lower 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 customized to your body and lifestyle. It can also help you in acclimating to your new device and maximizing its performance and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly impact our everyday lives and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to alleviate pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or just engage in your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Clover Bottom, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in returning 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 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 identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Clover Bottom, MO has the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to address your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Clover Bottom, MO

At Axes, our main aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Clover Bottom, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Clover Bottom, MO, our expert physical therapists utilize innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complicated 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 incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Clover Bottom, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our Clover Bottom, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough history taking and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and indicators, to constantly assess your progress and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers far more than just a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and state-of-the-art technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Clover Bottom, MO who are motivated to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Clover Bottom, MO include:

• 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
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Clover Bottom, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall well-being and movement health, whether that means gliding down the field or going up stairs without pain. As we are committed to offering customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re among the few clinics in the Clover Bottom, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Clover Bottom, MO is suitable for you.