Gait analysis in Olympian Village, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can examine your movement to offer personalized care and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Olympian Village, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in 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 Olympian Village, MO, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to 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 credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about 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 product of a variety of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at what may be affecting your movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Olympian Village, 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 Olympian Village, 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 Olympian Village, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it offers valuable information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more targeted and personalized approach. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Olympian Village, MO:

• Athletes looking for a performance boost — Correct form becomes vital at the zenith of athletic competition. 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 recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and verify that your body is recovering and developing strength properly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive benefits from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, coupled with additional insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly impede your movement 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 furthermore support you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly impact our everyday lives and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Olympian Village, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the activities you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait in real time and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to acquire a overall overview of your mobility health and effortlessly identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows more in-depth analysis and tracking of your progress over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Olympian Village, MO has the capacity and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Olympian Village, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in Olympian Village, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Olympian Village, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and compared against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Olympian Village, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to delivering our Olympian Village, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive patient interview and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the findings 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 scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in choosing suitable footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other quantitative data and indicators, to constantly review your progress and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers far more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and state-of-the-art technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in Olympian Village, MO who are determined to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Olympian Village, 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 Olympian Village, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly improve your overall health and performance, whether that means soaring down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to offering individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are among the limited number of clinics in the Olympian Village, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Olympian Village, MO is right for you.