Gait analysis in Wickes, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can evaluate your mobility to offer better treatment and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to manage chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Discover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Find footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Wickes, MO, our staff of physical therapists are dedicated to one thing: getting you back to what you love most. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or request an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by qualified physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation 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 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 what may be affecting your movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Wickes, 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 a precise understanding of your gait, your Wickes, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Wickes, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it offers important data to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more specific and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Wickes, MO:

• Athletes desiring a performance boost — Proper form becomes essential at the highest level of athletic competition. 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 ensure that your body is recuperating and gaining strength properly.
• 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 gain benefits from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can aid you in finding the appropriate footwear, which, together with other insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically disrupt your mobility health, as well as causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices tailored to your body and lifestyle. It can also 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 other conditions can profoundly influence our everyday lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to track disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in identifying ways to alleviate pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Wickes, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in getting back to the experiences you enjoy.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two main types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait in real time and via video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to acquire a overall assessment of your mobility health and readily identify any noticeable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data regarding your gait. By using precise numerical values, it allows greater in-depth analysis and tracking of your progress over time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Wickes, MO possesses the ability and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to address your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Wickes, MO

At Axes, our main objective is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we make use of every possible tool that can help our patients in Wickes, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Wickes, MO, our expert physical therapists employ advanced DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that monitor your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software interprets that algorithmic information into helpful information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Wickes, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to offering our Wickes, MO patients with successful, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that align with their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To get started, speak with your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to understand your goals, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your movement health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been proven through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on sustaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other quantitative information and indicators, to continuously assess your progress and adapt your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers much more than just a series of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a committed team of physical therapists in Wickes, MO who are driven to provide the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Wickes, 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 Wickes, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively improve your overall well-being and movement health, whether that involves gliding down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we’re one of the few clinics in the Wickes, MO area that offer 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 Wickes, MO is right for you.