Gait analysis in New Melle, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers 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 handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your New Melle, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that leads to pain or affects movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in New Melle, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re curious if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or request 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 understanding how you move, 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 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 New Melle, 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 New Melle, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in New Melle, MO

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

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes vital at the highest level of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and limited range of motion, 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 monitor how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is recovering and gaining strength adequately.
• 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 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 vet, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and minimize the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly interrupt your movement health, in addition to 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 additionally assist you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly influence our everyday functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or simply engage in your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in New Melle, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the experiences you enjoy.

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 technique entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait in real time and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall overview of your mobility health and readily identify 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 advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables more detailed analysis and monitoring of your progress over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in New Melle, MO possesses the capabilities and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in New Melle, MO

At Axes, our main objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool to support our patients in New Melle, MO. When conducting gait analysis in New Melle, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their professional observations to prescribe efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in New Melle, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our New Melle, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, consult your doctor to determine if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive patient interview and physical examination to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the results of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other measurable information and markers, to continuously assess your progress and modify your treatment plan as needed.

Axes provides much more than simply a list of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in New Melle, MO who are motivated to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in New Melle, 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 New Melle, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly contribute to your overall well-being and performance, whether that means soaring down the court or climbing stairs without pain. As we are committed to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are among the limited number of clinics in the New Melle, 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 ascertain if gait analysis in New Melle, MO is suitable for you.