Gait analysis in Oakland, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can assess your movement to offer personalized care and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to handle chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Oakland, 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
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Oakland, MO, our staff of physical therapists are devoted to one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right 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 carried out 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 move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a multitude of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at your overall movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Oakland, 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 Oakland, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you achieve the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Oakland, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it provides important information to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Oakland, MO:

• Athletes desiring a performance boost — Proper form becomes vital at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and ensure that your body is recuperating and developing strength appropriately.
• 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 derive benefits from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your movement health, along with 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 adapting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly affect our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This may lead to an heightened risk of falling for older adults, as well as 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 evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Oakland, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in getting back to the pursuits you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a general assessment of your mobility health and easily identify any observable 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 method employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over a period of time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Oakland, MO has the capabilities and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Oakland, MO

At Axes, our main objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool that can help our patients in Oakland, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Oakland, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to prescribe efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Oakland, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our Oakland, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, talk to your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a detailed patient interview and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, integrating the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other measurable data and indicators, to constantly assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes provides a lot more than simply a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and advanced technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Oakland, MO who are determined to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Oakland, 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 Oakland, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly improve your overall well-being and performance, whether that involves gliding down the court or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to providing customized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are one of the few clinics in the Oakland, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Oakland, MO is appropriate for you.