Gait analysis in Festus, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to evaluate your movement to offer personalized therapy and return you to the things you enjoy most. 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 Festus, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Festus, MO, our team of physical therapists are committed to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress of injury rehabilitation, 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 what may be keeping you from living the life you want.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Festus, 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 precise understanding of your gait, your Festus, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you achieve the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Festus, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it offers important insights to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized care. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Festus, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the zenith of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, 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 your progress and confirm that your body is healing and gaining strength properly.
• Others 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 experience advantages from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can help you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your movement health, as well as causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices specifically designed to your body and lifestyle. It can also help you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly affect our day-to-day functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This may lead to an heightened risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in identifying ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Festus, MO will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the activities you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally 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 in real time and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a general overview of your movement health and easily detect any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more in-depth analysis and monitoring of your improvement over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Festus, MO possesses the capabilities and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to address your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Festus, MO

At Axes, our main goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in Festus, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Festus, MO, our expert physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into helpful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Festus, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to offering our Festus, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that fit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll perform a thorough patient interview and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and markers, to constantly assess your growth and modify your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers a lot more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Festus, MO who are driven to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Festus, 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 Festus, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that involves flying down the court or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to providing individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the few clinics in the Festus, 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 Festus, MO is right for you.