Gait analysis in Horine, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can evaluate your movement to offer personalized care and return you to the things you like doing most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or influences movement health
• Measure and follow 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 Horine, 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 would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or make 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 rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the product of a variety of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at what may be keeping you from living the life you want.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Horine, 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 Horine, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Horine, MO

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

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge in their sport — Correct form becomes crucial at the zenith of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing from injury — If you’re coming off 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 recuperating and gaining strength adequately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience positives from gait analysis in aiding your recovery 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 identifying the right footwear, which, along with additional insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your mobility health, in addition to resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can additionally assist you in adapting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly influence our everyday lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Horine, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a broad overview of your mobility health and readily identify any noticeable 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 approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows greater thorough analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Horine, MO possesses the ability and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Horine, MO

At Axes, our main aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool that can help our patients in Horine, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Horine, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complex data into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Horine, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to offering our Horine, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, consult your doctor to determine if gait analysis could be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a thorough history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create 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 support you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and indicators, to constantly assess your progress and adjust your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers a lot more than simply a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Horine, MO who are motivated to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Horine, 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 Horine, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively improve your overall health and movement health, regardless of whether that involves flying down the field or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to providing individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the few clinics in the Horine, 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 Horine, MO is appropriate for you.