Gait analysis in St. Peters, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with 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 things you like doing 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 St. Peters, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that results in pain or influences movement health
• Evaluate and monitor 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. Peters, MO, our staff of physical therapists are devoted 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 make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about 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 result of a variety of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at what may be keeping you from living the life you want.

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

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in St. Peters, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it provides valuable data to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in St. Peters, MO:

• Athletes searching for a performance boost — Proper form becomes essential at the zenith of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and confirm that your body is recuperating and developing strength adequately.
• Others 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 experience benefits from gait analysis in assisting your healing from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can assist you in finding the suitable footwear, which, together with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly disrupt your movement health, along with 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 support you in adjusting 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 significantly affect our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows 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, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in identifying ways to relieve pressure on painful joints, mitigate injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or just enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in St. Peters, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the pursuits you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a overall overview of your mobility health and effortlessly spot any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis relies on the professional judgment of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows more in-depth analysis and tracking of your improvement over a period of time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in St. Peters, MO has the capabilities and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your particular needs.

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

At Axes, our main objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool that can help our patients in St. Peters, MO. When conducting gait analysis in St. Peters, MO, our expert physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that record your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and compared against the normal population as well as your prior sessions

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

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to providing our St. Peters, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated 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 assess if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a detailed patient interview and physical examination to understand your goals, 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, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other measurable data and markers, to constantly assess your growth and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes provides far more than just a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in St. Peters, MO who are motivated to provide optimal results in your treatment.

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

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall well-being and movement health, whether that involves soaring down the court or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to offering individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are one of the few clinics in the St. Peters, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in St. Peters, MO is suitable for you.