Gait analysis in Pinckney, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to assess your movement to offer better treatment and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Pinckney, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. 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 carried out by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding 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 keeping you from living the life you want.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Pinckney, 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 Pinckney, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Pinckney, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it provides valuable insights to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Pinckney, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes essential at the peak of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating 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 recovering and developing strength adequately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, 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 vet, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, conserve energy, and reduce the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically impede your movement 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 furthermore assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly influence our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in finding ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, minimize injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Pinckney, MO will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the activities you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to acquire a overall overview of your movement health and readily spot any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the clinical expertise of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows more detailed analysis and monitoring of your improvement 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 Pinckney, MO has the ability and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to address your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Pinckney, MO

At Axes, our primary focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool to support our patients in Pinckney, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Pinckney, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and compared against the typical population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Pinckney, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our Pinckney, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a thorough history taking and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, including the findings of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and indicators, to consistently review your progress and modify your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers much more than just a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and advanced technologies at our fingertips, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Pinckney, MO who are determined to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Pinckney, 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 Pinckney, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that means gliding down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re among the few clinics in the Pinckney, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Pinckney, MO is suitable for you.