Gait analysis in Glen Carbon, IL. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can evaluate your movement to offer personalized treatment and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete recovering 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 Glen Carbon, IL physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that leads to pain or influences movement health
• Assess and track 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 Glen Carbon, IL, 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 would be beneficial 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 done by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment 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 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 Glen Carbon, 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 precise insights into your gait, your Glen Carbon, IL physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Glen Carbon, IL

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy by itself, it offers crucial information to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Glen Carbon, IL:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes vital at the highest level of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and ensure that your body is recuperating 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 benefits from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation 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 finding the suitable footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly 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 furthermore support you in acclimating to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly impact our everyday lives and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can result in an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in finding ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

No matter why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Glen Carbon, IL will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your movement health and readily detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and monitoring of your progress over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Glen Carbon, IL has the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to meet your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Glen Carbon, IL

At Axes, our main focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in Glen Carbon, IL. When conducting gait analysis in Glen Carbon, IL, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to recommend effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Glen Carbon, IL

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our Glen Carbon, IL patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to understand your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and indicators, to constantly assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes delivers far more than just a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Glen Carbon, IL who are motivated to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Glen Carbon, 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 Glen Carbon, IL Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly 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 providing individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re the limited number of clinics in the Glen Carbon, IL area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Glen Carbon, IL is right for you.