Gait analysis in Marlborough, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can examine your movement to offer personalized treatment and return you to the activities you love. 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 treatment plan that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction 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 Marlborough, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you walk and run, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the status 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 Marlborough, 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 accurate understanding of your gait, your Marlborough, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Marlborough, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it offers important insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized approach. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Marlborough, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive advantage — Correct form becomes vital at the peak of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating 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 correctly.
• Others 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 derive advantages from gait analysis in assisting your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can assist you in identifying the right footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your movement health, along with causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore support you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly impact our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This may lead to an heightened risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in discovering ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Marlborough, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a broad overview of your mobility health and effortlessly detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise 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 offer objective, measurable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows greater in-depth analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Marlborough, MO has the capabilities and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Marlborough, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is delivering 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 Marlborough, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Marlborough, MO, our expert physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that hard data into useful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and compared against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Marlborough, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to providing our Marlborough, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a thorough history taking and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, including the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and markers, to continuously review your growth and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers much more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Marlborough, MO who are driven to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Marlborough, 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 Marlborough, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly improve your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that involves flying down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to offering personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re one of the few clinics in the Marlborough, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Marlborough, MO is suitable for you.