Gait analysis in Mackenzie, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to examine your movement to offer better therapy and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Mackenzie, MO, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by professional 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 product 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 Mackenzie, 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 Mackenzie, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Mackenzie, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers crucial information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Mackenzie, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes increasingly important at the peak of athletic 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 track your progress and verify that your body is healing and gaining strength appropriately.
• 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 experience positives from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced veteran, gait analysis can help you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your movement health, along with causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore assist you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly affect our day-to-day functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in discovering ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to eventually run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Mackenzie, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the activities you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a general assessment of your movement health and readily spot any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the clinical expertise 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 concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it allows greater in-depth analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Mackenzie, MO has the capacity and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to meet your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Mackenzie, MO

At Axes, our primary goal is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Mackenzie, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Mackenzie, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and compared against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Mackenzie, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Mackenzie, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your individualized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, including the findings of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in choosing suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and markers, to constantly assess your progress and modify your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers a lot more than simply a series of exercises to tick off. 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 Mackenzie, MO who are determined to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Mackenzie, MO include:

• 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
• Stroke Rehabilitation

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

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly improve your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that means soaring down the field or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re one of the limited number of clinics in the Mackenzie, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Mackenzie, MO is appropriate for you.