Gait analysis in Hillsboro, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to examine your movement to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the activities you love. 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 plan of care that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Assess and track 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 Hillsboro, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or request 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 Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Hillsboro, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it provides essential data to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized approach. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Hillsboro, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes essential at the pinnacle of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating 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 healing and developing strength correctly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive advantages from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from injury.
• 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, coupled with additional insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly impede your movement 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 also help you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly affect our everyday functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can result in an increased risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in identifying ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to ultimately run that marathon or just engage in your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Hillsboro, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the experiences you cherish.

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 approach entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a general overview of your mobility health and easily detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends 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 offer objective, measurable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows greater in-depth analysis and monitoring of your progress over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Hillsboro, MO has the ability and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to meet your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Hillsboro, MO

At Axes, our main objective is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool to support our patients in Hillsboro, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Hillsboro, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Hillsboro, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our Hillsboro, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that fit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough patient interview and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and indicators, to consistently assess your progress and adjust your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers a lot more than just a series 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 Hillsboro, MO who are motivated to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall health and performance, whether that means gliding down the field or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re among the limited number of clinics in the Hillsboro, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Hillsboro, MO is right for you.