Gait analysis in Gray Summit, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to assess your movement to offer personalized care and get you back to the things you like doing most. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Gray Summit, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or affects 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 Gray Summit, MO, our team 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 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 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 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 what may be affecting your movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Gray Summit, 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 Gray Summit, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Gray Summit, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it offers valuable information to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more focused and customized care. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Gray Summit, MO:

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge — Correct form becomes vital at the peak of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and ensure that your body is healing and developing strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience benefits from gait analysis in assisting 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 assist you in finding the right footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your movement health, in addition to causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can also support you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly impact our everyday functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can cause an heightened risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, reduce injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or just enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Gray Summit, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize 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 method entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to acquire a overall assessment of your movement health and effortlessly spot any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
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, measurable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Gray Summit, MO has the capabilities and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to address your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Gray Summit, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every available tool that can help our patients in Gray Summit, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Gray Summit, MO, our expert physical therapists utilize innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

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 hard data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to enable a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their professional observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Gray Summit, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to offering our Gray Summit, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, speak with your doctor to determine if gait analysis might be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a comprehensive patient interview and physical examination to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking suitable footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other quantitative data and markers, to consistently evaluate your growth and adjust your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers much more than simply a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in Gray Summit, MO who are determined to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Gray Summit, 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 Gray Summit, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly enhance your overall health and movement health, regardless of whether that involves soaring down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the limited number of clinics in the Gray Summit, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Gray Summit, MO is appropriate for you.