Gait analysis in Crescent, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to evaluate your movement to offer better care and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or affects movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Crescent, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or schedule an appointment online 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 your overall movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Crescent, 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 Crescent, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Crescent, MO

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

• Athletes seeking a performance boost — Proper form becomes vital at the zenith of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating 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 confirm that your body is recuperating and developing strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain benefits from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced vet, gait analysis can assist you in identifying the appropriate footwear, which, together with additional insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically impede your movement health, in addition to 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 adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly affect our day-to-day functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in finding ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Crescent, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in returning to the activities you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a general overview of your movement health and easily identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment 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 about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and monitoring 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 Crescent, MO possesses the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Crescent, MO

At Axes, our main focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool to support our patients in Crescent, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Crescent, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that monitor your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into useful 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 professional observations to prescribe efficient, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Crescent, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our Crescent, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, talk to your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis might be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed history taking and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking suitable footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and markers, 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 specialized team of physical therapists in Crescent, MO who are motivated to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Crescent, 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 Crescent, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively improve your overall health and performance, whether that involves moving down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to offering personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the few clinics in the Crescent, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Crescent, MO is suitable for you.