Gait analysis in O’Fallon, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can examine your mobility to offer better care 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 plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your O’Fallon, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or influences movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in O’Fallon, 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 closest to you or make an appointment through our website 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 progress of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the product of a variety 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 O’Fallon, 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 O’Fallon, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in O’Fallon, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it offers crucial insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized approach. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in O’Fallon, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes essential at the highest level of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength 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 monitor your progress and ensure that your body is recovering and gaining strength correctly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience benefits from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced veteran, gait analysis can aid you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, along with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly interrupt your mobility health, along with causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can also assist you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly influence our daily functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently lose strength as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to alleviate pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in O’Fallon, MO will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the pursuits you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a broad overview of your mobility health and readily identify any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in O’Fallon, MO possesses the ability and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to address your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in O’Fallon, MO

At Axes, our primary goal is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in O’Fallon, MO. When conducting gait analysis in O’Fallon, MO, our experienced 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 interprets that hard data into useful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to enable a more thorough analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in O’Fallon, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our O’Fallon, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, speak with your doctor to determine if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive patient interview and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the insights from gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed 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 alternative devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and markers, to consistently review your progress and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes provides a lot more than simply a list of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in O’Fallon, MO who are determined to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in O’Fallon, MO include:

• Back Pain Treatment
• 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

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in O’Fallon, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that involves soaring down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to offering customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the limited number of clinics in the O’Fallon, 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 O’Fallon, MO is suitable for you.