Gait Analysis in Madison, IL | Physical & Occupational Therapy

Gait analysis in Madison, IL. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to examine your movement to offer better therapy and return you to the things you enjoy most. Whether you’re an athlete healing 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 personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Madison, IL physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

Detect and address gait disorders
Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that results in pain or affects movement health
Assess and track treatment outcomes
Prevent and rehab injuries
Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Madison, IL, our staff of physical therapists are committed to one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation 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 recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the product 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 Madison, IL 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 Madison, IL physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you achieve the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Madison, IL

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it offers important information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Madison, IL:

Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the highest level of sports. 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 how your recovery’s going and confirm that your body is recovering and building strength correctly.
Others 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 gain benefits from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from trauma.
Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can assist you in finding the right footwear, which, coupled with additional insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your movement health, as well as resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can also assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly influence our day-to-day functioning and movement 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 increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to alleviate pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Madison, IL will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the activities you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two major types of gait analysis:

Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a general assessment of your movement health and readily detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Madison, IL possesses the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Madison, IL

At Axes, our main focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every available tool to support our patients in Madison, IL. When conducting gait analysis in Madison, IL, our experienced physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

Sensors are positioned on your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
DorsaVi’s software interprets that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
During video replay, your movements are slowed down to enable a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your movement
Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend effective, proven treatment modalities
Your progress is regularly monitored over time and compared against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Gait Analysis in Madison, IL | Injury Rehab and Prevention | Physical and Occupational Therapists Near Madison

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Madison, IL

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to delivering our Madison, IL patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your individualized treatment plan:

To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
We’ll perform a thorough patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and indicators, to continuously evaluate your growth and adapt your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes delivers a lot more than simply a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Madison, IL who are determined to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Madison, IL include:

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Madison, IL Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly improve your overall health and performance, whether that involves gliding down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the limited number of clinics in the Madison, IL area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Madison, IL is right for you.

Gait Analysis Madison, IL