Gait analysis in Leadington, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can examine your movement to offer better treatment and return you to the things you like doing most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or affects movement health
• Evaluate and monitor 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 Leadington, MO, our staff of physical therapists are committed to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for 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 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 progress of injury recovery, 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 keeping you from living the life you want.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Leadington, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it offers important information to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Leadington, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes vital at the highest level of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing 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 recuperating and developing strength properly.
• Anyone else 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 derive positives from gait analysis in assisting your healing from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can aid you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and reduce the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly interrupt your movement health, in addition to causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices specifically designed to your body and lifestyle. It can also support you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly affect our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in discovering ways to alleviate pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

No matter why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or simply engage in your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Leadington, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a general overview of your mobility health and effortlessly spot any apparent 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 approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, measurable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and monitoring of your progress over time.

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

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Leadington, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Leadington, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Leadington, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that complicated data into helpful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and compared against the normal population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Leadington, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to offering our Leadington, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your individualized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed history taking and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, integrating the insights from gait analysis into your holistic 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 success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in choosing suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other measurable data and markers, to continuously evaluate your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes provides much more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in Leadington, MO who are determined to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Leadington, 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 Leadington, 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 field or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to offering individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re the few clinics in the Leadington, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Leadington, MO is suitable for you.