Gait & Balance Rehab Training

• Would you like to walk better?
• Would you like to walk farther, faster or just more easefully? Would you like to walk without pain?
• Do you feel unsure or unsteady walking?
• Do you find walking on uneven surfaces like the grass or outside becoming more difficult? Are curbs or stairs challenging?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above, then VCPT & gait training could be helpful to you.

Gait training is a type of physical therapy focusing on improving your ability to stand and walk. Your doctor may recommend gait training if you’ve had an illness or injury that affects your ability to get around. If you’ve been immobile for a while, the process of walking or relearning to walk may be physically and mentally challenging. Gait training may help you gain independence in walking, even if you need an adaptive device.

Honestly, most of us don’t think about the mechanics of our walk. For example, is our pelvis rotating and our arms swinging correctly, or is my stride length efficient? For sure most people are not aware if they late pronate or how even their foot contacts the ground.

We take for granted that our walk is “normal” until one day we find perhaps it’s not. Most people do not realize they need help until they find themselves struggling with balance or they can no longer keep up with friends or family on a casual outing. Other times, following a leg injury or surgery, it is more apparent that you are no longer walking correctly or easefully. At whatever point it comes to your awareness that you could use improvement in your ability to walk or an improved tolerance of walking, VCPT can help.

Generally speaking, most everyone could use some tweaking of their walking mechanics. Most people’s gait pattern is a matter of neurology finding the path of least resistance to get you from point A to point B. However, this path of least resistance does not necessarily equate to what is best for your joints or tissues. Sometimes gait training is what is needed to finally correct that chronic low back pain.

Additionally, you may have noticed that your walking abilities feel limited by changes in your balance. In the past you may have had no problem managing curbs and uneven sidewalks, but now you notice hesitancy, or worst fear and unease. If this is the case, then gait and balance training combined can help you regain your independence and confidence!

VCPT will perform a detailed gait assessment and match your walk to your joint mobility, your flexibilities and your strength to create a program that enables you to get back to your ideal walk and restore your balance. Call today.