Gait analysis in Weldon Spring Heights, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to assess your mobility to offer better treatment and return you to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Weldon Spring Heights, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or influences movement health
• Assess and track 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 Weldon Spring Heights, MO, our team of physical therapists are committed to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location closest to 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 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 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 Weldon Spring Heights, 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 Weldon Spring Heights, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you achieve the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Weldon Spring Heights, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers crucial data to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Weldon Spring Heights, MO:

• Athletes searching for a performance boost — Proper form becomes vital at the highest level of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address muscle imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recuperating from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track your progress and verify that your body is recovering and developing strength appropriately.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive positives from gait analysis in aiding your healing 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, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and reduce the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly impede 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 also support you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and comfort.
• People suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly affect our daily functioning and movement health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This may lead to an heightened risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in identifying ways to relieve pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s striving to finally run that marathon or simply enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Weldon Spring Heights, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the pursuits you enjoy.

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 watching your gait as you walk and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to acquire a broad overview of your movement health and easily detect any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends 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 provide objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables greater thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Weldon Spring Heights, MO has the ability and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to address your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Weldon Spring Heights, MO

At Axes, our main focus is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool that can help our patients in Weldon Spring Heights, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Weldon Spring Heights, MO, our experienced physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that record your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that hard data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to enable a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to prescribe effective, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Weldon Spring Heights, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to providing our Weldon Spring Heights, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your individualized treatment plan:

• To get started, ask your doctor if gait analysis may be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a free injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a detailed history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, integrating the insights from gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, utilizing insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and markers, to continuously assess your growth and modify your treatment plan as needed.

Axes provides much more than simply a series of exercises to complete. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Weldon Spring Heights, MO who are motivated to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Weldon Spring Heights, 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 Weldon Spring Heights, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly enhance your overall health and movement health, whether that means moving down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we’re the limited number of clinics in the Weldon Spring Heights, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to optimize your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Weldon Spring Heights, MO is right for you.