Gait analysis in Webster Groves, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to evaluate your movement to offer personalized therapy and get you back to the things you enjoy most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Webster Groves, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that results in pain or influences 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 Webster Groves, MO, our staff of physical therapists are committed to one thing: getting you back to what you enjoy most. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right 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 qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By gaining precise information about how you move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress of injury rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a combination 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 Webster Groves, 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 Webster Groves, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Webster Groves, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment by itself, it provides valuable data to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Webster Groves, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive advantage — Proper form becomes crucial at the pinnacle 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 off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is recovering and developing strength adequately.
• Others 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 derive advantages from gait analysis in assisting 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 aid you in discovering the right footwear, which, along with additional insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and lower the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly interrupt your mobility health, along with 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 additionally support you in adapting to your new device and optimizing its performance and convenience.
• Those suffering from 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, assess treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to alleviate pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to eventually run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Webster Groves, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this method entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to obtain a overall overview of your mobility health and easily detect any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, measurable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows more in-depth analysis and tracking of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Webster Groves, MO possesses the capabilities and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to meet your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Webster Groves, MO

At Axes, our main focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool to support our patients in Webster Groves, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Webster Groves, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ state-of-the-art DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that monitor your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that complicated data into helpful information that your physical therapist can examine
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Webster Groves, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to providing our Webster Groves, MO patients with effective, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be incorporated into your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, speak with your doctor to determine if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, including the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, improving your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create 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 support you in selecting appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and optimizing movement health, utilizing insights obtained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and markers, to consistently review your progress and adapt your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes delivers a lot more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a dedicated team of physical therapists in Webster Groves, MO who are driven to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Webster Groves, 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 Webster Groves, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively enhance your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that means moving down the court or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing personalized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are one of the limited number of clinics in the Webster Groves, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, contact the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Webster Groves, MO is right for you.