Gait analysis in Moselle, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to examine your movement to offer better care and get you back 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 plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover underlying 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
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Moselle, MO, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by licensed physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about 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 product 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 Moselle, 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 exact understanding of your gait, your Moselle, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Moselle, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it provides important information to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Moselle, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive advantage — Proper form becomes essential at the zenith of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re recovering 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 recuperating and building strength properly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience benefits from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the right footwear, which, coupled with additional insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, conserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your movement health, along with 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 support you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly affect our daily lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in identifying ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Moselle, MO will utilize gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist 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 personally watching your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a general assessment of your mobility health and easily spot any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment 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 provide objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

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

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Moselle, MO

At Axes, our main focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool to support our patients in Moselle, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Moselle, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

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 complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to prescribe successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Moselle, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Moselle, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive patient interview and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and indicators, to consistently assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers a lot more than simply a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Moselle, MO who are driven to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Moselle, 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 Moselle, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly enhance your overall health and movement health, whether that involves flying down the field or going up stairs without pain. As we are committed to providing customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the limited number of clinics in the Moselle, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Moselle, MO is right for you.