Gait analysis in St. Louis, MO. Gait analysis, also referred to as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare providers can evaluate your mobility to offer personalized treatment and get you back to the things you like doing most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering 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 personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in St. Louis, 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 closest to you or request an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by licensed 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 result of a combination of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at what may be affecting your movement health.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in St. Louis, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it offers important data to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in St. Louis, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive advantage — Correct form becomes increasingly important at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor your progress and confirm that your body is recovering and building strength properly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain advantages from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the right footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your mobility health, as well as causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices specifically designed to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore support you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly influence our daily lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably 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 identifying ways to alleviate pressure on aching joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in St. Louis, MO will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits 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 personally observing your gait in real time and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to acquire a overall assessment of your mobility health and effortlessly detect any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the clinical expertise 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 deliver objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows more thorough analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in St. Louis, MO has the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to meet your specific needs.

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

At Axes, our primary aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in St. Louis, MO. When conducting gait analysis in St. Louis, MO, our expert physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complicated data into useful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and compared against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

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

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our St. Louis, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your individualized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in selecting suitable footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and markers, to continuously review your growth and adapt your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes delivers a lot more than just a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in St. Louis, MO who are driven to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

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

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly enhance your overall health and movement health, regardless of whether that means soaring down the court or going up stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re one of the limited number of clinics in the St. Louis, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in St. Louis, MO is appropriate for you.