Gait analysis in Winchester, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners to 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 treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Identify and manage gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that results in pain or impacts movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehabilitate injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Winchester, MO, our staff of physical therapists are devoted to one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis can help you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or make an appointment online to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by professional 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 your overall movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Winchester, 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 Winchester, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Winchester, MO

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

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge in their sport — Correct form becomes essential at the pinnacle of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify strength imbalances and range of motion limitations, and prevent injury.
• Athletes recovering from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to monitor how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is healing and building strength correctly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or had to get surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience advantages from gait analysis in assisting your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced vet, gait analysis can assist you in identifying the appropriate footwear, which, coupled with further insights from gait analysis, can enhance your speed, conserve energy, and reduce the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly interrupt your movement health, as well as 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 assist you in acclimating to your new device and maximizing its performance and convenience.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and other conditions can greatly impact our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to track disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can cause an increased risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can provide assistance in discovering ways to lessen pressure on sore joints, minimize injury risks, and assess the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s working to finally run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Winchester, MO will utilize gait analysis to personalize your treatment, maximize your care, and help you in returning to the pursuits 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 technique entails a physical therapist personally watching your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a overall overview of your mobility health and effortlessly identify any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the professional judgment 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 provide objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables more thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Winchester, MO has the ability and knowledge to tailor our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Winchester, MO

At Axes, our main focus is achieving positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to what they love most. To accomplish this, we make use of every available tool that can help our patients in Winchester, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Winchester, MO, our expert 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 interprets that hard data into valuable information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During playback, 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 clinical observations to recommend efficient, proven treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously tracked over time and compared against the average population as well as your prior sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Winchester, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to offering our Winchester, MO patients with successful, safe, and research-supported treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To start the process, ask your doctor if gait analysis could be helpful for you, or visit any Axes’ location for a complimentary injury screening.
• We’ll perform a detailed history taking and physical examination to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and medical history.
• We’ll form a partnership with you and your doctor, including the insights from gait analysis into your all-encompassing treatment approach, enhancing your movement health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been validated through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their effectiveness.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on maintaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll use gait analysis, together with other measurable information and indicators, to constantly evaluate your growth and modify your treatment plan as needed.

Axes delivers far more than simply a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and cutting-edge technologies at our fingertips, Axes provides a dedicated team of physical therapists in Winchester, MO who are driven to deliver the best results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Winchester, 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 Winchester, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively improve your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that involves soaring down the field or going up stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to offering personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are among the few clinics in the Winchester, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to enhance your movement health, get in touch with the nearest Axes location or contact us online to determine if gait analysis in Winchester, MO is suitable for you.