Gait analysis in St. George, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can evaluate your mobility to offer better care 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 plan of care that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your St. George, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or affects movement health
• Assess and track treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in St. George, MO, our team of physical therapists are devoted to one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation 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 progress of injury recovery, and more. Because our gaits our the product of a multitude 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 St. George, 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 St. George, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in St. George, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers crucial insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in St. George, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive advantage — Proper form becomes vital at the peak of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, 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 track your progress and ensure that your body is recovering and building strength properly.
• 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 gain positives from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can aid you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your movement health, as well as 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 additionally help you in adapting to your new device and optimizing its performance and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly affect our everyday lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in finding ways to relieve pressure on aching joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or just engage in your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in St. George, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the activities you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two primary 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 broad assessment of your movement health and readily spot any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables more detailed analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in St. George, MO possesses the ability and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in St. George, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in St. George, MO. When conducting gait analysis in St. George, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer 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 interprets that algorithmic information into helpful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in St. George, MO

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

• To get started, talk to your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a detailed patient interview and assessment to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, integrating the findings of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in selecting suitable footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, together with other quantitative data and indicators, to constantly review your progress and adapt your treatment plan as necessary.

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

Other services we offer in St. George, 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 St. George, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that means soaring down the court or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are dedicated to providing individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re the few clinics in the St. George, 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 ascertain if gait analysis in St. George, MO is suitable for you.