Gait analysis in South County, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can examine your movement to offer personalized treatment and return you to the things you love most. 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 treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your South County, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Choose footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in South County, MO, our staff 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 most convenient for you or request an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation 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 recovery, 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 your overall movement health.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in South County, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers valuable information to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in South County, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Proper form becomes vital at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and verify that your body is recuperating and building strength correctly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain advantages from gait analysis in assisting your healing from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced vet, gait analysis can assist you in finding the right footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, save energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your movement health, as well as causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can additionally assist you in adapting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly influence our daily lives and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This may lead to an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to alleviate pressure on sore joints, mitigate injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in South County, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist personally observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a general overview of your movement health and readily spot any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data regarding your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more in-depth analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in South County, MO possesses the ability and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to address your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in South County, MO

At Axes, our main aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in South County, MO. When conducting gait analysis in South County, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that algorithmic information into useful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in South County, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our South County, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that align with their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the results of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, improving your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• 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 assist you in choosing suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, drawing on insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and indicators, to consistently review your growth and adapt your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes delivers far more than just a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in South County, MO who are driven to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in South County, 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 South County, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall health and performance, whether that involves soaring down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re one of the limited number of clinics in the South County, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in South County, MO is right for you.