Gait analysis in Stone Meadows, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to examine your mobility to offer better treatment and get you back to the things you enjoy most. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Stone Meadows, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Stone Meadows, MO, our staff of physical therapists are committed to one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or schedule an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress of injury recovery, 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 Stone Meadows, 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 Stone Meadows, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you achieve the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Stone Meadows, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers essential insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Stone Meadows, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes crucial at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and restricted mobility, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track how your recovery’s going and confirm that your body is recovering and building strength correctly.
• Others 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 derive positives from gait analysis in aiding your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can aid you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with other 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, in addition to 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 assist you in acclimating to your new device and maximizing its performance and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can significantly affect our day-to-day lives and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken 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 finding ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, mitigate injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor elements of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Stone Meadows, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in returning 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 method entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your movement health and readily identify any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and monitoring of your improvement over a period of time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Stone Meadows, MO has the capacity and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Stone Meadows, MO

At Axes, our main focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool to support our patients in Stone Meadows, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Stone Meadows, MO, our experienced physical therapists utilize innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that complex data into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to recommend effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Stone Meadows, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to providing our Stone Meadows, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a comprehensive patient interview and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the insights from gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and markers, to continuously review your growth and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes delivers a lot more than just a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Stone Meadows, MO who are driven to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Stone Meadows, 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 Stone Meadows, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall health and performance, whether that means flying down the field or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to offering individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are the few clinics in the Stone Meadows, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Stone Meadows, MO is appropriate for you.