Gait analysis in Ironton, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can evaluate your mobility to offer better care and get you back to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or affects 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 Ironton, MO, our staff 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 performed by credentialed 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 rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a variety of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at what may be affecting your movement health.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Ironton, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy by itself, it provides valuable insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more focused and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Ironton, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes crucial at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re coming back 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 building strength properly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience benefits from gait analysis in assisting your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can help you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and lower 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 specifically designed to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore assist you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly affect our everyday lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in identifying ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Ironton, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in getting back to the activities you love.

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 directly watching your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a general overview of your movement health and effortlessly identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment 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 offer objective, measurable data regarding your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables greater in-depth analysis and tracking of your improvement over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Ironton, MO possesses the capabilities and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Ironton, MO

At Axes, our main aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool to support our patients in Ironton, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Ironton, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to recommend 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 Ironton, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our Ironton, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a detailed history taking and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in selecting 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 leverage gait analysis, alongside other quantitative data and indicators, to continuously assess your progress and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes provides far more than simply a list of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Ironton, MO who are motivated to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Ironton, MO include:

• Trigger Finger Treatment Van Arman
• Shoulder Pain Treatment
• 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

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

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall health and movement health, whether that means gliding down the field or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to offering personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are among the limited number of clinics in the Ironton, 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 find out if gait analysis in Ironton, MO is right for you.