Gait analysis in Portage Des Sioux, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to evaluate your mobility to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to cope with chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Portage Des Sioux, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or influences movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Portage Des Sioux, 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 would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or schedule an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding 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 variety 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 Portage Des Sioux, 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 accurate understanding of your gait, your Portage Des Sioux, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Portage Des Sioux, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it offers important data to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Portage Des Sioux, MO:

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge — Proper form becomes vital at the pinnacle of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing 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 confirm that your body is healing and building strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive positives from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can assist you in finding the right footwear, which, coupled with additional insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, save energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly interrupt your movement health, in addition to causing 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 maximizing its performance and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly influence our day-to-day functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This may lead to an increased risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to relieve pressure on aching joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or just engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Portage Des Sioux, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the activities you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to obtain a overall assessment of your movement health and easily detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables greater in-depth analysis and monitoring of your progress over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Portage Des Sioux, MO has the capabilities and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Portage Des Sioux, MO

At Axes, our main focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool that can help our patients in Portage Des Sioux, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Portage Des Sioux, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ 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 track your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that algorithmic information into helpful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more comprehensive analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend 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 Portage Des Sioux, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to delivering our Portage Des Sioux, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed patient interview and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in selecting proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other quantitative data and indicators, to constantly review your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers far more than just a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Portage Des Sioux, MO who are driven to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Portage Des Sioux, 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 Portage Des Sioux, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall health and performance, whether that involves gliding down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re the few clinics in the Portage Des Sioux, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Portage Des Sioux, MO is suitable for you.