Gait analysis in Pevely, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can assess your movement to offer personalized treatment and return you to the things you enjoy most. 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 Pevely, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or affects movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Pevely, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or schedule 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 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 Pevely, 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 Pevely, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Pevely, MO

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

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes essential at the peak of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re recovering from 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 recuperating and developing strength appropriately.
• 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 gain advantages from gait analysis in assisting your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can help you in discovering the right footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and reduce the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your movement 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 assist you in acclimating 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 affect our everyday functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken 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 provide assistance in finding ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

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

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 as you walk and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to acquire a general overview of your movement health and effortlessly detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise of the therapist to reach 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, measurable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Pevely, MO has the ability and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Pevely, MO

At Axes, our main goal is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool that can help our patients in Pevely, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Pevely, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Pevely, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Pevely, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a detailed patient interview and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and indicators, to constantly evaluate your growth and modify your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes provides much more than simply a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and state-of-the-art technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Pevely, MO who are motivated to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Pevely, 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 Pevely, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall health and movement health, regardless of whether that involves soaring down the field or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re one of the few clinics in the Pevely, MO area that offer 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 Pevely, MO is right for you.