Gait analysis in Crystal City, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to evaluate your movement to offer personalized treatment and get you back to the activities you love. 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 treatment plan that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Crystal City, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Crystal City, MO, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for 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 assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you walk and run, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress of injury rehabilitation, 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 your overall movement health.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Crystal City, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it provides essential data to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more specific and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Crystal City, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes vital at the zenith of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re recovering 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 healing and gaining strength properly.
• Others 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 experience advantages from gait analysis in assisting your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can aid you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly 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 furthermore assist you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly affect our daily functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably lose strength as we age. This can cause an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in discovering ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Crystal City, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in returning to the experiences you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to acquire a general assessment of your mobility health and easily identify any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data regarding your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more in-depth analysis and tracking of your improvement over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Crystal City, MO possesses the capacity and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to address your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Crystal City, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every available tool to support our patients in Crystal City, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Crystal City, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into helpful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Crystal City, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our Crystal City, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a comprehensive history taking and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, integrating the findings of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in selecting suitable footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, utilizing insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and markers, to continuously evaluate your progress and modify your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers far more than just a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Crystal City, MO who are driven to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Crystal City, 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 Crystal City, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall well-being and movement health, whether that means moving down the court or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are among the limited number of clinics in the Crystal City, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Crystal City, MO is appropriate for you.