Gait analysis in Hopewell, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can examine your movement to offer better care and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or affects movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Hopewell, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by licensed physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation 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 progress of injury rehabilitation, 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 Hopewell, 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 Hopewell, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Hopewell, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it offers essential insights to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more targeted and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Hopewell, MO:

• Athletes looking for a performance boost — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the pinnacle of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and restricted mobility, 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 how your recovery’s going and confirm that your body is recovering and developing strength appropriately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience positives from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced vet, gait analysis can help you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the chance 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 customized to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore support you in acclimating to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly impact our everyday lives and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This may lead to an increased risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to alleviate pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Hopewell, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the activities 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 technique entails a physical therapist personally 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 effortlessly detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows greater thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Hopewell, MO possesses the capabilities and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Hopewell, MO

At Axes, our primary goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool to support our patients in Hopewell, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Hopewell, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that track your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that hard data into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their professional observations to recommend effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and compared against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Hopewell, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our Hopewell, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be advantageous for you, or visit 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 health background.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, including the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and indicators, to constantly review your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes provides much more than just a list of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and state-of-the-art technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in Hopewell, MO who are determined to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Hopewell, MO include:

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Hopewell, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly improve your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that involves moving down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re the few clinics in the Hopewell, 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 find out if gait analysis in Hopewell, MO is suitable for you.