Gait analysis in Old Jamestown, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to evaluate your movement to offer better treatment and return you to the things you like doing most. 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 therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Old Jamestown, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or affects movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Old Jamestown, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help 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 performed by qualified 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 result 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 Old Jamestown, 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 Old Jamestown, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Old Jamestown, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers important insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Old Jamestown, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Proper form becomes increasingly important at the zenith of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor how your recovery’s going and confirm that your body is recovering and building strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience positives from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can aid you in discovering the right footwear, which, along with additional insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, save energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your mobility health, along with causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can also assist you in acclimating to your new device and maximizing its function and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly affect our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can result in an increased risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to relieve pressure on aching joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Old Jamestown, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in returning to the activities you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your movement health and effortlessly spot any noticeable 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 method employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data about 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 Old Jamestown, MO possesses the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to address your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Old Jamestown, MO

At Axes, our main objective is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool to support our patients in Old Jamestown, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Old Jamestown, MO, our expert physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative services.

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 complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Old Jamestown, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our Old Jamestown, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, integrating the results of 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 validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other quantitative data and indicators, to constantly evaluate your progress and modify your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers a lot more than just a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Old Jamestown, MO who are motivated to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Old Jamestown, 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 Old Jamestown, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively improve your overall well-being and performance, whether that means soaring down the court or climbing stairs without pain. As we are committed to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re among the few clinics in the Old Jamestown, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Old Jamestown, MO is suitable for you.