Gait analysis in Woodhine Heights, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare professionals can evaluate your movement to offer better therapy and get you back to the things you like doing most. Whether you’re an athlete healing from an injury or you’re trying to handle arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed treatment plan that’s customized for your lifestyle and goals.

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

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or affects movement health
• Measure and follow treatment outcomes
• Prevent and recover from injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Woodhine Heights, 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 closest to you or schedule an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by professional 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 multitude 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 Woodhine 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 a precise understanding of your gait, your Woodhine Heights, 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 Woodhine Heights, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method in and of itself, it provides essential insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more focused and personalized treatment. As such, gait analysis can benefit a wide range of people in Woodhine Heights, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Proper form becomes crucial at the pinnacle of sports. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing from injury — If you’re coming off an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is healing and developing strength adequately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, in a slip and fall, or underwent recent surgery, you don’t have to be an athlete to gain benefits from gait analysis in assisting your recovery from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re an experienced veteran, gait analysis can help you in identifying the right footwear, which, along with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, save energy, and minimize the probability 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 additionally help 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 everyday functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, judge treatment effectiveness, and shape rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This can cause an heightened risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to lessen pressure on sore joints, mitigate injury risks, and examine the cognitive and motor facets of mobility health.

No matter why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s working to ultimately run that marathon or just enjoy your day-to-day life without pain, Axes’ licensed physical and occupational therapists in Woodhine Heights, MO will employ gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and help you in returning to the activities you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are generally two primary types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this approach entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait in real time and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a broad overview of your mobility health and effortlessly detect any apparent 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 method employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, measurable data about your gait. By utilizing precise numerical values, it enables greater in-depth analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and instrument-assisted gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Woodhine Heights, MO possesses the ability and expertise to personalize our gait analysis services to fulfill your specific needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Woodhine Heights, MO

At Axes, our main goal is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in getting back to their cherished activities. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Woodhine Heights, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Woodhine Heights, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists employ cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative services.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that track your motion, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that algorithmic information into helpful information that your physical therapist can analyze
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to aid a more detailed analysis and examination of your motion
• Your Axes’ physical therapist incorporates these insights with their professional observations to prescribe efficient, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is continuously monitored over time and compared against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Woodhine Heights, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to offering our Woodhine Heights, MO patients with effective, safe, and scientifically validated treatment plans that align with their lifestyles and objectives. Gait analysis can be part of your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, consult your doctor to assess if gait analysis might be beneficial for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll perform a thorough history taking and assessment to gain insight into your objectives, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the insights from gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll create personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to offering physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or alternative devices, while informing you on maintaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, incorporating insights gained from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, alongside other quantitative information and indicators, to constantly assess your growth and adapt your treatment plan as needed.

Axes offers much more than simply a list of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and state-of-the-art technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Woodhine Heights, MO who are determined to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Woodhine Heights, 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 Woodhine Heights, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall well-being and performance, regardless of whether that involves moving down the field or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are the limited number of clinics in the Woodhine 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 find out if gait analysis in Woodhine Heights, MO is appropriate for you.