Gait analysis in Liguori, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can evaluate your mobility to offer personalized therapy and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Liguori, MO, our team of physical therapists are devoted to one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or schedule an appointment through our website 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 gaining precise information about how you walk and run, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress 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 Liguori, 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 Liguori, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Liguori, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it provides essential insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized care. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Liguori, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Proper form becomes essential at the peak of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and confirm that your body is recuperating and gaining strength correctly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive advantages 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 runner, gait analysis can assist you in identifying the suitable footwear, which, together with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly interrupt your movement health, in addition to 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 additionally support you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly affect our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess 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 discovering ways to alleviate pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or just enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Liguori, MO will utilize gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits you enjoy.

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 technique entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a overall assessment of your mobility health and easily identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more detailed analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Liguori, MO has the ability and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Liguori, MO

At Axes, our main goal is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool that can help our patients in Liguori, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Liguori, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that monitor your movement, 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 integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Liguori, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to offering our Liguori, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your customized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, 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 thorough patient interview and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the findings of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been proven through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, drawing on insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and markers, to continuously evaluate your growth and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers much more than just a list of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Liguori, MO who are motivated to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Liguori, 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 Liguori, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall well-being and performance, whether that means moving down the field or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to providing customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are among the few clinics in the Liguori, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Liguori, MO is right for you.