Gait analysis in Twin Oaks, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can assess your mobility to offer personalized treatment and get you back to the activities you love. 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 tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Twin Oaks, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes 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 Twin Oaks, MO, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re curious if gait analysis would be beneficial for 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 carried out 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 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 product of a multitude 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 Twin Oaks, 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 Twin Oaks, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Twin Oaks, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy by itself, it provides important insights to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Twin Oaks, MO:

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge — Correct form becomes vital at the zenith 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 coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and ensure that your body is recovering and developing strength correctly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience advantages from gait analysis in facilitating your healing from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned veteran, gait analysis can aid you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, along with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the chance 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 acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly impact our everyday functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. This can cause an heightened risk of falling for older adults, in addition to degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in discovering ways to relieve pressure on aching joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or just engage in your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Twin Oaks, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the experiences you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to acquire a general overview of your mobility health and effortlessly spot any apparent 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 approach employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it allows more in-depth analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Twin Oaks, MO possesses the capacity and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to meet your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Twin Oaks, MO

At Axes, our main aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every possible tool that can help our patients in Twin Oaks, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Twin Oaks, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are positioned on your body that record your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that hard data into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the typical population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Twin Oaks, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to delivering our Twin Oaks, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, talk to your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough patient interview and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll build a partnership with you and your doctor, including the findings of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in choosing suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and indicators, to continuously evaluate your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes delivers a lot more than simply a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and advanced technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Twin Oaks, MO who are driven to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Twin Oaks, 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 Twin Oaks, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall health and movement health, whether that means gliding down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are one of the limited number of clinics in the Twin Oaks, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Twin Oaks, MO is appropriate for you.