Gait analysis in High Ridge, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can examine your mobility to offer better therapy and return you to the things you like doing 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 treatment plan that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your High Ridge, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in High Ridge, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or schedule an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about how you walk and run, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the status of injury recovery, 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 High Ridge, 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 exact understanding of your gait, your High Ridge, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in High Ridge, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it offers essential insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized approach. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in High Ridge, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge — Proper form becomes crucial at the peak of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and limited range of motion, 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 your progress and confirm that your body is recuperating and developing strength adequately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain positives from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can help you in finding the suitable footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, conserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your mobility health, as well as resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly affect our daily functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can cause an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in finding ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

No matter why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to eventually run that marathon or just engage in your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in High Ridge, MO will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two main 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 through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a general assessment of your movement health and easily detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes 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 offer objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in High Ridge, MO possesses the capacity and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in High Ridge, MO

At Axes, our primary goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in High Ridge, MO. When conducting gait analysis in High Ridge, MO, our expert physical therapists employ advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that track your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that hard data into helpful information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in High Ridge, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our High Ridge, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, consult your doctor to assess if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, including the results of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other measurable data and indicators, to constantly review your growth and adapt your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers far more than simply a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in High Ridge, MO who are motivated to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in High Ridge, 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 High Ridge, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly improve your overall health and performance, whether that involves moving down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the few clinics in the High Ridge, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in High Ridge, MO is suitable for you.