Gait analysis in Crestwood, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can examine your movement to offer personalized therapy and return you to the things you love 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 plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Find out hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that leads to pain or impacts movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Crestwood, MO, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed 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 product 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 Crestwood, 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 precise insights into your gait, your Crestwood, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Crestwood, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it provides valuable insights to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized care. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Crestwood, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and verify that your body is recuperating and gaining strength adequately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive benefits from gait analysis in aiding 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 finding the suitable footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically impede your movement health, in addition to 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 adjusting 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 affect our everyday functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can result in an increased risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in identifying ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Crestwood, MO will utilize gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences 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 directly observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a overall overview of your movement health and easily detect any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater in-depth analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Crestwood, MO has the capacity and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to meet your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Crestwood, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool to support our patients in Crestwood, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Crestwood, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and compared against the normal population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Crestwood, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our Crestwood, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, speak with your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a thorough history taking and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, including the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in choosing suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other measurable data and indicators, to consistently assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes provides far more than simply a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and cutting-edge technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Crestwood, MO who are determined to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Crestwood, 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 Crestwood, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall health and performance, whether that means soaring down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the few clinics in the Crestwood, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Crestwood, MO is suitable for you.