Gait analysis in Marthasville, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to examine your movement to offer personalized care and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Find out hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or influences movement health
• Measure and follow 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 Marthasville, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the status of injury rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a combination 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 Marthasville, 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 Marthasville, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Marthasville, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it offers important information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Marthasville, MO:

• Athletes looking for a performance boost — Proper form becomes vital at the pinnacle of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and ensure that your body is healing and gaining strength correctly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive positives from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can assist you in identifying the right footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically 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 help you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly influence our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably lose strength as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or just enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Marthasville, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize 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 method entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a broad assessment of your movement health and easily detect any noticeable 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 technique employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it allows greater in-depth analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Marthasville, MO possesses the capabilities and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Marthasville, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool that can help our patients in Marthasville, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Marthasville, MO, our expert physical therapists employ advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer 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 translates that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, evidence-based 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 Marthasville, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to delivering our Marthasville, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed history taking and physical examination to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, drawing on insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other quantitative data and indicators, to constantly evaluate your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes delivers much more than simply a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Marthasville, MO who are motivated to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Marthasville, 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 Marthasville, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall health and performance, whether that involves flying down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the few clinics in the Marthasville, 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 ascertain if gait analysis in Marthasville, MO is right for you.