Gait analysis in Innsbrook, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can examine your mobility to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Innsbrook, MO, our staff of physical therapists are committed to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for 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 done by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding 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 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 Innsbrook, 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 Innsbrook, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Innsbrook, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it offers crucial data to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more focused and customized care. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Innsbrook, MO:

• Athletes seeking a competitive advantage — Correct form becomes vital at the zenith of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and verify that your body is recuperating and building strength properly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain benefits 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 help you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, along with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly impede your movement health, in addition to causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore support you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and convenience.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly affect our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to lessen pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or just engage in your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Innsbrook, MO will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the activities you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a broad assessment of your mobility health and effortlessly detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows more detailed analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Innsbrook, MO possesses the capabilities and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to meet your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Innsbrook, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool that can help our patients in Innsbrook, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Innsbrook, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that track your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that hard data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and compared against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Innsbrook, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Innsbrook, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, talk to your doctor to assess if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed patient interview and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in picking proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other measurable information and markers, to continuously assess your growth and adapt your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes delivers much more than just a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Innsbrook, MO who are driven to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Innsbrook, 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 Innsbrook, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly improve your overall well-being and performance, whether that means gliding down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are one of the few clinics in the Innsbrook, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Innsbrook, MO is right for you.