Gait analysis in Granite City, IL. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to examine your mobility to offer better therapy and get you back to the activities you love. 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 plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Granite City, IL physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or affects movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Granite City, IL, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or schedule an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out 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 progress of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the product 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 Granite City, 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 Granite City, IL physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Granite City, IL

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it provides valuable data to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Granite City, IL:

• Athletes seeking a competitive advantage — Proper form becomes vital at the pinnacle of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and restricted mobility, 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 monitor how your recovery’s going and confirm that your body is healing and developing strength correctly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain advantages from gait analysis in assisting your healing from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced vet, gait analysis can help you in discovering the right footwear, which, along with additional insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, save energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly impede your mobility health, as well as resulting in 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 assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and comfort.
• Those 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 enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in finding ways to alleviate pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

No matter why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to eventually run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Granite City, IL will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a broad overview of your mobility health and easily identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and monitoring of your progress 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 Granite City, IL has the capabilities and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Granite City, IL

At Axes, our primary objective is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool that can help our patients in Granite City, IL. When conducting gait analysis in Granite City, IL, our highly skilled physical therapists employ advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that record your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that complicated data into useful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their professional observations to recommend efficient, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and compared against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Granite City, IL

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our Granite City, IL patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, consult your doctor to assess if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a thorough history taking and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, integrating the results of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and indicators, to consistently review your growth and modify your treatment plan as needed.

Axes delivers much more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Granite City, IL who are motivated to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Granite City, 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 Granite City, IL Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly improve your overall health and performance, whether that means gliding down the court or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re the limited number of clinics in the Granite City, IL area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Granite City, IL is suitable for you.