Gait analysis in Des Peres, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can assess your movement to offer better therapy and get you back to the activities you love. 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 therapy program that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Des Peres, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Find out hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or influences movement health
• Evaluate and monitor 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 Des Peres, MO, our staff of physical therapists are committed to one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out 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 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 what may be keeping you from living the life you want.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Des Peres, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it provides essential information to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Des Peres, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the pinnacle of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify 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 confirm that your body is healing and gaining strength properly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain positives from gait analysis in aiding your recovery 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 identifying the right footwear, which, together with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly impede your mobility health, along with resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can additionally assist you in acclimating to your new device and maximizing its performance and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly impact our everyday lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This may lead to an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to relieve pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Des Peres, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in returning to the pursuits 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 technique entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a broad assessment of your mobility health and easily detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Des Peres, MO has the ability and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Des Peres, MO

At Axes, our primary focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool that can help our patients in Des Peres, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Des Peres, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that track your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complicated data into useful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to enable a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and compared against the typical population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Des Peres, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to offering our Des Peres, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, consult your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive patient interview and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design 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 assist you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other measurable information and indicators, to consistently evaluate your growth and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers far more than just a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Des Peres, MO who are driven to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Des Peres, 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 Des Peres, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly improve your overall well-being and performance, whether that involves flying down the court or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are one of the few clinics in the Des Peres, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Des Peres, MO is suitable for you.