Gait analysis in Old Monroe, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can examine your mobility to offer personalized treatment and return you to the things you enjoy most. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that leads to pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Old Monroe, MO, our staff of physical therapists are devoted to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you walk and run, 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 combination 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 Monroe, 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 precise understanding of your gait, your Old Monroe, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Old Monroe, MO

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

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes vital at the zenith of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and ensure that your body is recuperating and gaining strength adequately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience advantages from gait analysis in facilitating your healing from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can help you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, together with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically disrupt your mobility health, as well as causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can additionally help you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly affect our everyday lives and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in identifying ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to eventually run that marathon or just engage in your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Old Monroe, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a broad overview of your movement health and effortlessly detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Old Monroe, MO possesses the capacity and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to address your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Old Monroe, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Old Monroe, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Old Monroe, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize state-of-the-art 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 valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to recommend efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Old Monroe, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our Old Monroe, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive history taking and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, integrating the insights from gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other measurable data and indicators, to constantly assess your growth and modify your treatment plan as needed.

Axes provides far more than just a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in Old Monroe, MO who are determined to provide the best results in your treatment.

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

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively improve your overall well-being and movement health, whether that means moving down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to offering individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the few clinics in the Old Monroe, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Old Monroe, MO is appropriate for you.