Gait analysis in Wildwood, MO. Gait analysis, alongside video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can assess your mobility to offer better care and get you back to the activities you love. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with 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 Wildwood, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Find out hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that results in pain or influences 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 Wildwood, MO, our team of physical therapists are committed to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location nearest you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When done by licensed 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 status of injury rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the result of a variety 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 Wildwood, 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 accurate understanding of your gait, your Wildwood, MO physical therapist can personalize your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Wildwood, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it offers essential information to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and customized treatment. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Wildwood, MO:

• Athletes desiring a competitive edge in their sport — Correct form becomes increasingly important at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify 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 track your progress and confirm that your body is healing and developing strength properly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, in a slip and fall, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive advantages from gait analysis in aiding your healing from injury.
• 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, along with additional insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, save energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly disrupt your movement 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 additionally help you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its function and comfort.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly influence our day-to-day lives and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inevitably weaken as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to lessen pressure on aching joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor facets of movement health.

No matter the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to eventually run that marathon or simply engage in your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Wildwood, MO will employ gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and assist you in returning to the activities you cherish.

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 method entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait in real time and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to acquire a broad overview of your mobility health and easily detect any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the clinical expertise of the therapist to reach conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this technique employs specific technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data regarding your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables greater detailed analysis and monitoring of your progress over a period of time.

Both qualitative and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right situations and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Wildwood, MO has the ability and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to meet your particular needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Wildwood, MO

At Axes, our primary objective is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool that can help our patients in Wildwood, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Wildwood, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ innovative DorsaVi video motion analysis to offer both qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that track your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can examine
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their clinical observations to recommend effective, evidence-based 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 Wildwood, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to offering our Wildwood, MO patients with effective, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their daily lives and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, speak with your doctor to determine if gait analysis may be beneficial for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll carry out a comprehensive history taking and physical examination to understand your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the results of gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans integrating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll assist you in picking appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and improving movement health, drawing on insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll leverage gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and indicators, to continuously review your progress and modify your treatment plan as necessary.

Axes provides far more than simply a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Wildwood, MO who are motivated to provide optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Wildwood, 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 Wildwood, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall health and movement health, regardless of whether that involves flying down the court or climbing stairs without pain. As we are dedicated to providing individualized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are one of the limited number of clinics in the Wildwood, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to find out if gait analysis in Wildwood, MO is right for you.