Gait analysis in Owensville, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to evaluate your mobility to offer personalized therapy and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Owensville, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or affects movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Owensville, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or schedule an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out 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 walk and run, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the status of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a multitude 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 Owensville, 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 Owensville, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Owensville, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers crucial information to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more targeted and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Owensville, MO:

• Athletes searching for a performance boost — Proper form becomes crucial at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is recovering and developing strength properly.
• 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 gain benefits from gait analysis in facilitating 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 identifying the appropriate footwear, which, together with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and reduce the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly interrupt your movement health, in addition to resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can additionally help you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can significantly impact our daily lives and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to alleviate pressure on sore joints, mitigate injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or just engage in your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Owensville, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the activities you cherish.

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 personally observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to acquire a overall overview of your movement health and effortlessly detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
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 detailed analysis and tracking of your improvement over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Owensville, MO possesses the capabilities and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to address your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Owensville, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool to support our patients in Owensville, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Owensville, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that monitor your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to prescribe effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Owensville, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Owensville, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, consult your doctor to determine if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a comprehensive patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, including the findings of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking suitable footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, utilizing insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and indicators, to consistently assess your progress and modify your treatment plan as needed.

Axes delivers much more than just a series 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 Owensville, MO who are driven to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Owensville, MO include:

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Owensville, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall health and movement health, regardless of whether that means flying down the field or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to offering personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the limited number of clinics in the Owensville, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Owensville, MO is appropriate for you.