Gait Analysis in Creve Coeur, MO | Physical & Occupational Therapy

Gait analysis in Creve Coeur, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to evaluate your mobility to offer better treatment and get you back to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Creve Coeur, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

Diagnose and treat gait disorders
Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
Assess and track treatment outcomes
Prevent and recover from injuries
Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Creve Coeur, 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 can help you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or request an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you move, 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 variety 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 Creve Coeur, 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 Creve Coeur, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Creve Coeur, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy by itself, it offers essential information to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Creve Coeur, MO:

Athletes seeking a competitive advantage — Correct form becomes vital at the pinnacle of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and limited range of motion, 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 monitor your progress and ensure that your body is recuperating and building strength correctly.
Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience benefits from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from injury.
Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced veteran, gait analysis can help you in finding the right footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly disrupt your movement 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 help you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly impact our daily lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and shape 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 such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in identifying ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Creve Coeur, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in returning to the activities you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two primary types of gait analysis:

Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall overview of your mobility health and effortlessly spot any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise of the therapist to reach conclusions.
Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more detailed analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Creve Coeur, MO possesses the capacity and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Creve Coeur, MO

At Axes, our main focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool to support our patients in Creve Coeur, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Creve Coeur, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

Sensors are attached to your body that track your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
DorsaVi’s software translates that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and examination of your movement
Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe successful, proven treatment modalities
Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your prior sessions

Gait Analysis in Creve Coeur, MO | Injury Rehab and Prevention | Physical and Occupational Therapists Near Creve Coeur

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Creve Coeur, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our Creve Coeur, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your individualized treatment plan:

To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
We’ll conduct a thorough history taking and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the insights from gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on achieving proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and indicators, to consistently review your growth and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers a lot more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Creve Coeur, MO who are driven to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Creve Coeur, MO include:

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Creve Coeur, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly contribute to your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that involves flying down the field or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to offering customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re the few clinics in the Creve Coeur, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Creve Coeur, MO is suitable for you.

Gait Analysis Creve Coeur, MO