Gait analysis in Peerless Park, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to evaluate your movement to offer better care and return you to the things you like doing most. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to cope with chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Peerless Park, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Find out hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or affects movement health
• Assess and track 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 Peerless Park, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or request an appointment online 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 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 Peerless Park, 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 Peerless Park, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Peerless Park, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it provides valuable data to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Peerless Park, MO:

• Athletes searching for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes essential at the peak of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing 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 verify that your body is recovering and gaining strength properly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive 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 an experienced veteran, gait analysis can help you in identifying the suitable footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, conserve energy, and reduce the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly impede your mobility health, in addition to 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 acclimating to your new device and maximizing its function and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly influence our daily lives and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This may lead to an increased risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in finding ways to alleviate pressure on sore joints, reduce injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply engage in your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Peerless Park, MO will utilize gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the activities you love.

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 method entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a overall assessment of your mobility health and effortlessly detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and tracking of your progress over time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Peerless Park, MO possesses the capabilities and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Peerless Park, MO

At Axes, our primary aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool that can help our patients in Peerless Park, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Peerless Park, MO, our expert physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Peerless Park, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to offering our Peerless Park, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that align with their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other measurable data and markers, to consistently evaluate your progress and modify your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes provides much more than just a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Peerless Park, MO who are determined to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Peerless Park, 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 Peerless Park, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly enhance your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that means gliding down the court or climbing stairs without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re one of the few clinics in the Peerless Park, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Peerless Park, MO is appropriate for you.