Gait analysis in Warrenton, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can examine your movement to offer better treatment and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to cope with chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Warrenton, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or affects 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 Warrenton, MO, our staff of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or request 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 assessment 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 status of injury rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a multitude 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 Warrenton, 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 Warrenton, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Warrenton, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it provides crucial insights to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Warrenton, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge in their sport — Proper form becomes crucial at the zenith of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and restricted mobility, 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 monitor your progress and verify that your body is recuperating and developing strength correctly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience advantages from gait analysis in assisting your healing from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced runner, gait analysis can assist you in discovering the suitable footwear, which, together with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and reduce the probability of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically impede your mobility health, as well as 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 furthermore assist you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its performance and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly affect our daily functioning and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. This can cause an elevated risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to lessen pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Warrenton, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in getting back to the experiences you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist personally observing 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 detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it enables more detailed analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Warrenton, MO has the capabilities and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Warrenton, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting 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 Warrenton, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Warrenton, MO, our expert physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software translates that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Warrenton, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our Warrenton, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis might be advantageous for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll perform a detailed patient interview and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, including the results of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been proven through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in selecting suitable footwear, braces, or other devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other measurable data and markers, to consistently review your growth and adjust your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes provides much more than simply a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in Warrenton, MO who are determined to provide excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Warrenton, 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 Warrenton, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly improve your overall well-being and movement health, regardless of whether that involves flying down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing individualized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are one of the few clinics in the Warrenton, MO area that offer 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 Warrenton, MO is appropriate for you.