Gait analysis in Florissant, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to examine your mobility to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or influences movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Florissant, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right 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 done 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 rehabilitation, 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 Florissant, 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 Florissant, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Florissant, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it provides essential data to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Florissant, MO:

• Athletes looking for a performance boost — Proper form becomes essential at the highest level of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify 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 how your recovery’s going and verify that your body is healing and gaining strength properly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain advantages 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 vet, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, together with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically impede your movement health, along with 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 assist you in adapting to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly influence our everyday lives and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to lessen pressure on sore joints, mitigate injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to ultimately run that marathon or simply engage in your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Florissant, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in getting back to the experiences 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 technique entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a general assessment of your movement health and easily spot 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 advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Florissant, MO has the capacity and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to address your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Florissant, MO

At Axes, our main goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in Florissant, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Florissant, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that complex data into helpful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to prescribe effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Florissant, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Florissant, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor 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 detailed history taking and assessment to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create 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 wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other measurable data and markers, to consistently review your growth and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers a lot more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Florissant, MO who are driven to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Florissant, MO include:

• Back Pain Treatment
• 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

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Florissant, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that involves soaring down the field or going up stairs without pain. As we are committed to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the limited number of clinics in the Florissant, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Florissant, MO is suitable for you.