Gait analysis in Valles Mines, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to evaluate your mobility to offer better care and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to manage arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Valles Mines, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or influences movement health
• Evaluate and monitor 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 Valles Mines, MO, our team of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment 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 variety 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 Valles Mines, 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 Valles Mines, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Valles Mines, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it provides essential information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more targeted and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Valles Mines, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge — Proper form becomes essential at the highest level of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify 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 monitor your progress and ensure that your body is healing and building strength appropriately.
• Others 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 derive advantages from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can help you in discovering the right footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically interrupt your movement health, along with resulting in phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices specifically designed to your body and lifestyle. It can also help you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly impact our daily lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can result in an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to alleviate pressure on sore joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to ultimately run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Valles Mines, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in getting back to the activities you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two main 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 enables the physical therapist to acquire a general assessment of your mobility health and readily spot any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Valles Mines, MO possesses the capabilities and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Valles Mines, MO

At Axes, our primary focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool that can help our patients in Valles Mines, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Valles Mines, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into helpful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe efficient, proven 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 Valles Mines, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our Valles Mines, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that suit 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 beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a thorough history taking and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll design personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll help you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and optimizing movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and indicators, to continuously evaluate your growth and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers far more than just a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Valles Mines, MO who are motivated to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Valles Mines, 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 Valles Mines, 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 field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to offering personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are among the few clinics in the Valles Mines, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, call the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Valles Mines, MO is suitable for you.