Gait analysis in Maryknoll, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to evaluate your movement to offer personalized treatment and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or influences movement health
• Measure and follow 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 Maryknoll, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by licensed 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 status of injury rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the product of a combination 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 Maryknoll, 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 Maryknoll, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you achieve the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Maryknoll, MO

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

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes vital at the pinnacle of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing 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 verify that your body is recuperating and building strength properly.
• 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 gain positives from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced vet, gait analysis can help you in identifying the appropriate footwear, which, along with additional insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, conserve energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly interrupt your movement health, as well as causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can additionally support you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly affect our everyday lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Maryknoll, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits you love.

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 as you walk and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a overall overview of your movement health and readily identify any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more detailed analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Maryknoll, MO possesses the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Maryknoll, MO

At Axes, our main focus is delivering 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 Maryknoll, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Maryknoll, MO, our expert physical therapists employ advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that hard data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, proven 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 Maryknoll, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to delivering our Maryknoll, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, consult your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis could be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a thorough history taking and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and indicators, to continuously assess your progress and adjust your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers much more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Maryknoll, MO who are motivated to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Maryknoll, 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 Maryknoll, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall health and movement health, regardless of whether that means flying down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to providing individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re among the limited number of clinics in the Maryknoll, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Maryknoll, MO is appropriate for you.