Gait analysis in Manchester, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can evaluate your movement to offer better care and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to handle chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Find out 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 Manchester, MO, our team of physical therapists are devoted to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or schedule an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out 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 Manchester, 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 Manchester, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Manchester, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it provides crucial insights to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Manchester, MO:

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge in their sport — Correct form becomes vital at the zenith of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming back from 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 healing and gaining strength adequately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain advantages from gait analysis in aiding 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 help you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly impede your movement health, as well as 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 furthermore help you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly affect our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can result in 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 relieve pressure on sore joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Manchester, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in getting back to the activities you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two main 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 broad assessment of your mobility health and readily spot any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the clinical expertise of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables greater thorough analysis and tracking of your progress over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Manchester, MO has the capacity and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Manchester, MO

At Axes, our primary focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Manchester, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Manchester, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize state-of-the-art 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 interprets that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Manchester, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to providing our Manchester, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your individualized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in picking proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, alongside other quantitative data and indicators, to constantly review your growth and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers much more than just a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and state-of-the-art technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Manchester, MO who are driven to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Manchester, MO include:

• Back Pain Treatment
• 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

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

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall well-being and movement health, whether that means flying down the field or climbing stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re among the limited number of clinics in the Manchester, 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 determine if gait analysis in Manchester, MO is right for you.