Gait analysis in Valley Park, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to examine your mobility to offer better care and get you back to the things you enjoy most. Whether you’re an athlete healing 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 tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

Your Valley Park, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that leads to pain or affects movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Valley Park, MO, our staff of physical therapists are devoted to 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 nearest you or schedule an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When carried out by credentialed physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation 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 status 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 your overall movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Valley Park, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy by itself, it provides valuable information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Valley Park, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes essential at the highest level of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and ensure that your body is recuperating and developing strength correctly.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive positives from gait analysis in facilitating your healing from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned runner, gait analysis can help you in identifying the suitable footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, preserve energy, and lower the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your movement health, along with 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 assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and convenience.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can profoundly influence our daily functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably lose strength as we age. This can result in an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, reduce injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to ultimately run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Valley Park, MO will apply gait analysis to customize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a overall overview of your movement health and easily identify any apparent 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 technique employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it allows greater detailed analysis and tracking of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Valley Park, MO has the ability and expertise to tailor our gait analysis services to fulfill your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Valley Park, MO

At Axes, our primary focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool to support our patients in Valley Park, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Valley Park, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize advanced 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 useful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more thorough analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and compared against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Valley Park, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our Valley Park, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that fit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, talk to your doctor to determine if gait analysis could be advantageous for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a thorough history taking and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll build a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their efficacy.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in selecting suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and indicators, to consistently assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes offers a lot more than simply a list 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 Valley Park, MO who are driven to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall well-being and performance, whether that involves flying down the court or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are among the limited number of clinics in the Valley Park, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Valley Park, MO is right for you.