Gait analysis in Preston Woods, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can evaluate your movement to offer personalized care and return you to the things you love 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 tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Preston Woods, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that results in pain or influences 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 Preston Woods, MO, our team of physical therapists are committed to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or schedule an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by licensed 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 combination 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 Preston Woods, 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 Preston Woods, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you achieve the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Preston Woods, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy by itself, it provides important data to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and customized care. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Preston Woods, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge — Proper form becomes vital at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor how your recovery’s going and verify that your body is recovering and building strength appropriately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive advantages from gait analysis in assisting your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced veteran, gait analysis can help you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, together with additional insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly 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 furthermore support you in adapting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly influence our daily functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This may lead to an heightened risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in discovering ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Preston Woods, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the pursuits you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a general overview of your mobility health and readily identify any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more detailed analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Preston Woods, MO possesses the capabilities and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to address your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Preston Woods, MO

At Axes, our main objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool to support our patients in Preston Woods, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Preston Woods, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that monitor your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complicated data into useful information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Preston Woods, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our Preston Woods, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that suit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to understand your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, including 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 integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and indicators, to consistently assess your progress and adapt 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 state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Preston Woods, MO who are motivated to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Preston Woods, 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 Preston Woods, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall health and performance, whether that involves flying down the field or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to offering personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re among the limited number of clinics in the Preston Woods, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Preston Woods, MO is right for you.