Gait analysis in Paulina Hills, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can assess your mobility to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Paulina Hills, MO, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or make 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 move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress 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 what may be keeping you from living the life you want.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Paulina 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 precise insights into your gait, your Paulina Hills, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Paulina Hills, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it offers valuable data to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Paulina Hills, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge — Proper form becomes crucial at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is recuperating and developing strength adequately.
• Others 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 assisting your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can help you in identifying the suitable footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your mobility health, along with resulting in 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 acclimating to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly influence our everyday lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can cause an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in identifying ways to alleviate pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to eventually run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Paulina Hills, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in returning to the pursuits you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two major 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 gain a broad assessment of your mobility health and easily spot any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment 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 regarding your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Paulina Hills, MO has the capabilities and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to meet your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Paulina Hills, MO

At Axes, our main objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every available tool to support our patients in Paulina Hills, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Paulina Hills, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that hard data into helpful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend efficient, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Paulina Hills, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our Paulina Hills, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, talk to your doctor to assess if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a detailed patient interview and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create 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 maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other measurable data and markers, to continuously review your progress and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers a lot more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and state-of-the-art technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Paulina Hills, MO who are motivated to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Paulina 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 Paulina Hills, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly contribute to your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that involves gliding down the field or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the limited number of clinics in the Paulina Hills, 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 determine if gait analysis in Paulina Hills, MO is right for you.