Gait analysis in Defiance, 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 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 cope with chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment 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 Defiance, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help 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 performed by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about how you move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a combination 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 Defiance, 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 Defiance, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Defiance, 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 focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Defiance, MO:

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing 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 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 derive benefits from gait analysis in aiding your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced vet, gait analysis can help you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, save energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly impede your mobility health, along with 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 support you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and comfort.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly impact our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in finding ways to alleviate pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or simply engage in your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Defiance, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly 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 as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a broad overview of your mobility health and effortlessly spot any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Defiance, MO has the capabilities and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Defiance, MO

At Axes, our main objective is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool that can help our patients in Defiance, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Defiance, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and compared against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Defiance, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our Defiance, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor 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 physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, integrating the results of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other quantitative data and indicators, to continuously evaluate your progress and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes provides a lot more than just a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Defiance, MO who are driven to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Defiance, 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 Defiance, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall health and movement health, whether that means moving down the court or climbing stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to providing individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the limited number of clinics in the Defiance, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Defiance, MO is suitable for you.