Gait analysis in Desoto, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can assess your mobility to offer personalized care and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to handle chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor 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 Desoto, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by licensed 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 status of injury rehabilitation, 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 your overall movement health.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Desoto, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it provides important 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 Desoto, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive advantage — Correct form becomes crucial at the highest level of athletic 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 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 correctly.
• Others 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 experience positives from gait analysis in assisting 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 identifying the suitable footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly interrupt your mobility 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 help you in adapting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly influence our everyday lives and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can result in an increased risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or simply engage in your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Desoto, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in getting back to the pursuits you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two main types of gait analysis:

1. 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 acquire a broad overview of your mobility health and easily identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it allows greater in-depth analysis and monitoring of your progress over time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Desoto, MO has the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to address your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Desoto, MO

At Axes, our main objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool to support our patients in Desoto, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Desoto, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that monitor your motion, 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 movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Desoto, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our Desoto, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that align with their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a thorough history taking and physical examination to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, together with other quantitative data and indicators, to consistently review your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers much more than just a list of exercises to tick off. 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 Desoto, MO who are determined to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Desoto, 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 Desoto, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly improve your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that involves flying down the court or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to providing customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are among the few clinics in the Desoto, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Desoto, MO is suitable for you.