Gait analysis in Lake St. Louis, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can assess your mobility to offer personalized care and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Lake St. Louis, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that leads to pain or affects movement health
• Measure and follow 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 Lake St. Louis, 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 is right for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about 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 what may be keeping you from living the life you want.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Lake St. Louis, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it provides essential information to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized approach. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Lake St. Louis, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Proper form becomes vital at the peak of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and ensure that your body is recuperating and developing strength adequately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain advantages from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, along with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly interrupt your movement health, as well as resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can also help you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and comfort.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly impact our everyday lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can cause an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to relieve pressure on aching joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or just engage in your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Lake St. Louis, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the experiences you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a general overview of your mobility health and effortlessly identify any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and monitoring of your progress over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Lake St. Louis, MO has the capacity and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Lake St. Louis, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool that can help our patients in Lake St. Louis, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Lake St. Louis, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that monitor your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to recommend effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Lake St. Louis, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to delivering our Lake St. Louis, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a detailed patient interview and physical examination to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and indicators, to continuously evaluate your growth and adjust your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers much more than simply a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Lake St. Louis, MO who are determined to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Lake St. Louis, MO include:

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Lake St. Louis, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that involves moving down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re among the limited number of clinics in the Lake St. Louis, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Lake St. Louis, MO is suitable for you.