Gait analysis in House Springs, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can evaluate your movement to offer better therapy and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to handle chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your House Springs, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in House Springs, MO, our team of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment 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 progress of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a combination 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 House Springs, 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 House Springs, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in House Springs, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it provides valuable data to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more targeted and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in House Springs, MO:

• Athletes searching for a performance boost — Correct form becomes essential at the highest level of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and confirm 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 healing from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced vet, gait analysis can aid you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly interrupt your movement health, as well as 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 performance and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly 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 inherently weaken as we age. This can cause an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in finding ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in House Springs, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a overall overview of your movement health and effortlessly identify any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater thorough analysis and tracking of your improvement over a period of time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in House Springs, MO has the capabilities and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in House Springs, MO

At Axes, our main goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every available tool to support our patients in House Springs, MO. When conducting gait analysis in House Springs, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ 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 monitor your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that hard data into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in House Springs, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our House Springs, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, talk to your doctor to assess if gait analysis might be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough history taking and physical examination to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, including the results of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, drawing on insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and indicators, to continuously assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers a lot more than simply a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in House Springs, MO who are determined to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in House Springs, MO include:

• Back Pain Treatment
• 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

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in House Springs, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall well-being and performance, whether that means moving down the court or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the limited number of clinics in the House Springs, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in House Springs, MO is suitable for you.