What Is Gait Analysis and Do You Need It?

Whether you are a runner dealing with recurring injuries, someone experiencing ongoing foot pain, or simply noticing discomfort when walking, the way your body moves can play an important role in your symptoms. Even small abnormalities can place additional stress on the feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back over time.

Gait analysis can help uncover factors that are causing you pain or discomfort. But what exactly is gait analysis and how can it help you?

What Is Gait Analysis?

Gait analysis is a clinical assessment used by podiatrists and trained professionals to evaluate how a person walks or runs. By assessing movement patterns, foot mechanics and posture, a gait analysis can help identify biomechanical factors that may be causing pain.

The assessment looks at factors such as:

• Foot posture and alignment
• Joint movement
• Stride length
• Balance and stability
• Weight distribution
• Muscle function

A podiatrist will usually look at both static posture and dynamic movement through two different assessments:

‍Static Assessment - This involves examining your body while standing still, including foot structure, limb alignment, joint range of motion and muscle flexibility.

Dynamic Assessment - This focuses on how your body moves during movement. This may involve a treadmill analysis, video gait analysis or pressure distribution analysis. The aim is to understand whether certain movement patterns may be contributing to excessive stress on tissues or joints.

Why Do Podiatrists Perform Gait Analysis?

Podiatrists use gait analysis to help investigate lower limb pain, movement dysfunction and recurrent injuries. It can be particularly useful if a patient is experiencing conditions such as:

• Plantar Fasciitis
• Achilles Tendinopathy
• Shin splints
• Patellofemoral knee pain
• Recurrent ankle sprains
• Running-related injuries

For example, altered foot mechanics or reduced ankle mobility may increase strain on certain muscles, tendons, or joints over time. Identifying these contributing factors can help guide treatment recommendations and ensures you are getting the correct help.

What Happens During a Gait Analysis Appointment?

Every analysis starts with a look at your clinical history, your symptoms and any previous injuries you may have had. Your podiatrist will also ask about your exercise habits to determine how active you are and how long you spend on your feet.

You will then be asked to walk or run for 30-60 seconds on a treadmill. Sophisticated scanning technology is then used to track your movements and measure how your feet move. This produces a detailed analysis of your gait with imagery and video so that your podiatrist can clearly show their findings in a way you can understand.

Potential findings may include:

• Excessive or poorly controlled pronation
• Reduced ankle mobility
• Asymmetrical loading
• Muscle imbalance
• Compensation patterns following injury
• Altered running mechanics

A gait variation is not necessarily a problem in itself, but certain movement patterns may increase stress on specific tissues in some individuals.

Is Gait Analysis Only for Runners?

Although gait analysis is commonly associated with running injuries, it is not limited to athletes. At Glen Foley Podiatry, we also use these assessments for occupational foot pain or walking difficulties, balance concerns and musculoskeletal pain.

Assessing your walking mechanics can provide valuable insight into how forces move through your lower limbs during everyday activities and allows you to make adjustments accordingly.

If you think you need gait analysis or are just curious as to how your lower limbs move, book an appointment with us today and receive tailored advice that works for you.