Gait analysis in Osage Hills, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can examine your mobility to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the things you enjoy most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to cope with chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Osage Hills, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that leads to pain or affects 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 Osage Hills, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or request an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done 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 product of a combination 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 Osage Hills, 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 accurate understanding of your gait, your Osage Hills, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Osage Hills, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it offers crucial information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Osage Hills, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge in their sport — Correct form becomes increasingly important at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track how your recovery’s going and confirm that your body is recovering and building 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 assisting your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly 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 furthermore help you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its performance and convenience.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly influence our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably lose strength as we age. This may lead to an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Osage Hills, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the activities you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to acquire a broad overview of your mobility health and easily identify any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it allows greater in-depth analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Osage Hills, MO possesses the capacity and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Osage Hills, MO

At Axes, our main goal is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool to support our patients in Osage Hills, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Osage Hills, MO, our expert physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that record your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into helpful information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Osage Hills, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to offering our Osage Hills, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, speak with your doctor to assess if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or come to 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 medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the findings of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in selecting proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and markers, to continuously assess your progress and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers much more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a specialized team of physical therapists in Osage Hills, MO who are motivated to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Osage Hills, 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 Osage Hills, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall well-being and performance, whether that involves flying down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the limited number of clinics in the Osage Hills, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Osage Hills, MO is suitable for you.