Gait analysis in Wright City, MO. Gait analysis, in combination with video motion analysis, is a method used by physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to examine your mobility to offer personalized therapy and return you to the things you love most. Whether you’re an athlete dealing with an injury or you’re trying to cope with arthritis, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed plan of care that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Wright City, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Detect and address gait disorders
• Uncover underlying musculoskeletal or nerve dysfunction that causes 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 Wright City, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re curious if gait analysis is right 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 done by licensed physical therapists, gait analysis is an evaluation of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you walk and run, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the status of injury recovery, 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 Wright City, 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 Wright City, MO physical therapist can customize your treatment and help you achieve the most rewards for your movement health and fitness.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Wright City, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a healing method by itself, it provides valuable insights to your physical therapist about your motion, allowing them to offer more specific and customized approach. As such, gait analysis can positively impact a wide range of people in Wright City, MO:

• Athletes looking for a competitive edge — Correct form becomes crucial at the peak of athletic competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, address strength imbalances and restricted mobility, 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 monitor how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is healing and developing strength adequately.
• Others recovering from injury — Whether you were injured at work, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to derive advantages from gait analysis in facilitating your healing from trauma.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can assist you in identifying the right footwear, which, coupled with other insights from gait analysis, can boost your speed, preserve energy, and lower the chance of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can significantly impede 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 furthermore help you in acclimating to your new device and optimizing its performance and convenience.
• People with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can profoundly influence our day-to-day lives and mobility health. Gait analysis enables healthcare professionals to observe disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies inherently weaken as we age. This may lead to an elevated risk of falling for older adults, along with degenerative conditions like tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can offer support in finding ways to alleviate pressure on sore joints, mitigate injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor elements of movement health.

Regardless of why you’re considering physical therapy, whether it’s striving to eventually run that marathon or just enjoy your daily life without pain, Axes’ licensed therapists in Wright City, MO will apply gait analysis to personalize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the experiences 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 method entails a physical therapist directly observing your gait in real time and through video recordings. It enables the physical therapist to gain a broad overview of your mobility health and readily spot any observable patterns. Qualitative gait analysis utilizes the clinical expertise of the therapist to draw conclusions.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this approach employs specialized technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to deliver objective, quantifiable data concerning your gait. By using precise numerical values, it enables more in-depth analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are suitable in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Wright City, MO possesses the ability and expertise to customize our gait analysis services to fulfill your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Wright City, MO

At Axes, our main aim is delivering positive patient outcomes and assisting individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we utilize every available tool that can help our patients in Wright City, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Wright City, MO, our highly skilled physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are attached to your body that record your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that algorithmic information into valuable information that your physical therapist can review
• During playback, your movements are slowed down to aid a more thorough analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist combines these insights with their professional observations to recommend efficient, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly monitored over time and evaluated against the average population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Wright City, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is committed to offering our Wright City, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that fit their lifestyles and goals. Gait analysis can be included in your personalized treatment plan:

• To get started, speak with your doctor to determine if gait analysis could be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a thorough patient interview and physical examination to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create a team with you and your doctor, incorporating the findings of gait analysis into your holistic treatment approach, enhancing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and scholarly studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in choosing appropriate footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on sustaining proper posture and enhancing movement health, drawing on insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll employ gait analysis, together with other quantitative data and markers, to constantly assess your growth and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers far more than simply a series of exercises to check off. With decades of combined experience, professional knowledge, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Wright City, MO who are driven to deliver excellent results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Wright City, 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 Wright City, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can greatly enhance your overall health and performance, regardless of whether that means flying down the court or playing with your grandkids without pain. As we are committed to offering customized treatment plans that are proven to work, we are one of the limited number of clinics in the Wright City, MO area that offer 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 Wright City, MO is appropriate for you.