Gait analysis in Josephville, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can assess your mobility to offer better care and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or affects movement health
• Assess and track 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 Josephville, MO, our staff of physical therapists are committed to one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help 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 done 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 status of injury rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the result 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 Josephville, 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 Josephville, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Josephville, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it offers important information to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more targeted and personalized approach. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Josephville, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — 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 recuperating 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 verify that your body is recovering and gaining strength adequately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain positives from gait analysis in aiding your recovery from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced veteran, gait analysis can assist you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly interrupt your mobility health, along with 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 support you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its performance and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly impact our daily lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably lose strength as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in discovering ways to alleviate pressure on aching joints, mitigate injury risks, and assess 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 enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Josephville, MO will utilize gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in getting back to the activities you cherish.

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 method entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a general overview of your mobility health and easily detect any observable 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 technique employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data about your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more in-depth analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Josephville, MO possesses the ability and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Josephville, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool to support our patients in Josephville, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Josephville, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Josephville, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Josephville, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your personalized 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 perform a detailed patient interview and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the insights from gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in selecting proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and markers, to consistently review your progress and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes provides much more than simply a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Josephville, MO who are determined to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Josephville, 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 Josephville, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly contribute to your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that involves soaring down the court or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to offering customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the limited number of clinics in the Josephville, 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 Josephville, MO is suitable for you.