Gait analysis in Ellisville, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to assess your mobility to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or influences 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 Ellisville, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by credentialed 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 status of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the product 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 Ellisville, 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 Ellisville, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you achieve the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Ellisville, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it provides valuable insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Ellisville, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge in their sport — Correct form becomes essential at the highest level of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is healing and gaining strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience advantages from gait analysis in facilitating your healing from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can aid you in identifying the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly impede 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 additionally assist you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its function and comfort.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly influence our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can cause an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in identifying ways to lessen pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

No matter why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or just engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Ellisville, MO will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the activities you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a broad overview of your movement health and readily detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more detailed analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Ellisville, MO has the capacity and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Ellisville, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool to support our patients in Ellisville, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Ellisville, MO, our expert physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both 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 algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to enable a more thorough analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend successful, 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 Ellisville, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Ellisville, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that suit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough history taking and assessment to understand 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 movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and indicators, to consistently evaluate your progress and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers far more than just a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Ellisville, MO who are determined to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Ellisville, 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 Ellisville, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall well-being and performance, whether that means flying down the court or climbing stairs without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re among the limited number of clinics in the Ellisville, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Ellisville, MO is appropriate for you.