Gait analysis in Wilbur Park, MO. Gait analysis, also called motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can evaluate your movement to offer personalized therapy and return you to the activities you love. 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 plan of care that’s tailored to your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Discover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor 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 Wilbur Park, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis would be beneficial for you, call the Axes’ location most convenient for you or make an appointment through our website 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 gaining precise information about how you walk and run, 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 keeping you from living the life you want.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Wilbur 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 a precise understanding of your gait, your Wilbur Park, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you achieve the most benefit for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Wilbur Park, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a therapy in and of itself, it provides crucial information to your physical therapist about your movement health, allowing them to offer more specific and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Wilbur Park, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive advantage — Correct form becomes increasingly important 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 recovering from injury — If you’re recovering from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor how your recovery’s going and verify that your body is recovering 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 positives from gait analysis in facilitating your recuperation from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can help you in discovering the appropriate footwear, which, together with additional insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and minimize the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can greatly disrupt your movement health, as well as causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can also assist you in adjusting to your new device and maximizing its function and convenience.
• Those suffering from neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly affect our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally lose strength as we age. This may lead to an heightened risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in identifying ways to alleviate pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to eventually run that marathon or simply enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Wilbur Park, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in returning to the pursuits you love.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are commonly 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 through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a overall assessment of your movement health and readily spot 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 technique employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to offer objective, measurable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables more in-depth analysis and tracking of your improvement over a period of time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are appropriate in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Wilbur Park, MO has the capacity and knowledge to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Wilbur Park, MO

At Axes, our main focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we utilize every possible tool that can help our patients in Wilbur Park, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Wilbur Park, MO, our expert physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer 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 converts that complicated data into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and breakdown of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their professional observations to recommend successful, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Wilbur Park, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to delivering our Wilbur Park, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that align with their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your personalized treatment plan:

• To begin the process, speak with your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a thorough history taking and assessment to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll form a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall well-being.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, alongside other measurable information and markers, to constantly review your growth and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes offers much more than just a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes offers a committed team of physical therapists in Wilbur Park, MO who are determined to provide the best results in your treatment.

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

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can significantly contribute to your overall health and performance, whether that involves gliding down the field or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are dedicated to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are among the limited number of clinics in the Wilbur Park, MO area that offer video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Wilbur Park, MO is appropriate for you.