Gait analysis in Fairview Heights, IL. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can evaluate 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 manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Fairview Heights, IL physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Fairview Heights, IL, 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 is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or request an appointment online 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 result of a multitude 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 Fairview Heights, IL 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 precise understanding of your gait, your Fairview Heights, IL physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Fairview Heights, IL

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it provides important insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Fairview Heights, IL:

• Athletes looking for a performance boost — Correct form becomes vital at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track how your recovery’s going and confirm that your body is recovering and gaining strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain positives from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced veteran, gait analysis can aid you in identifying the right footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, save energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically disrupt your mobility health, as well as 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 also assist you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly impact our day-to-day functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can cause an elevated risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in finding ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to eventually run that marathon or simply engage in your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Fairview Heights, IL will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in returning to the activities you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your movement health and easily detect any noticeable 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 technique employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more in-depth analysis and monitoring of your improvement over a period of time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Fairview Heights, IL possesses the capabilities and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Fairview Heights, IL

At Axes, our primary goal is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Fairview Heights, IL. When conducting gait analysis in Fairview Heights, IL, our expert physical therapists utilize state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that monitor your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to prescribe successful, proven 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 Fairview Heights, IL

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our Fairview Heights, IL patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, talk to your doctor to assess if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other measurable data and indicators, to consistently assess your progress and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers much more than just a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Fairview Heights, IL who are driven to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Fairview Heights, IL 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 Fairview Heights, IL Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that means flying down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to offering personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the limited number of clinics in the Fairview Heights, IL area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Fairview Heights, IL is appropriate for you.