Gait analysis is a useful method for identifying underlying abnormalities in the gait cycle, it is a valuable tool used to assess the way in which you walk, run & move.
At Wells clinic I offer video analysis for runners and athletes of all levels keen to learn more about their running and movement patterns.
Gait analysis can be used not only for rehab purposes but to help you improve performance and efficiency.
The data I gather from a video analysis highlights any relevant patterns of overload contributing to tissue stress. These damaging patterns can be addressed by gait retraining or in other words making subtle changes to your running style to reduce the ground reaction force irritating the tissues and causing injury.
By changing cadence or steps per minute and various other cues I can help to manage those damaging forces from the ground to the tissues (Kinetics) on impact that are overloading the tissues and causing injury and delaying rehab.
Contrary to popular belief there is no perfect running shoe and there is no perfect running style. We all have our own set of individual biomechanics that place us at risk of injury if we overload the tissues for example:
There are 2 ways of conducting a gait analysis;
Both forms of analysis have pros and cons, and therefore I often conduct both to get an accurate overall picture. I’m looking at overall posture but specifically; stride length, step width, cadence, foot strike, hip & knee position and alignment (kinematics) of the lower limb throughout the entire gait cycle from swing phase to ground contact.
Gait analysis isn’t always conducted with patients moving in straight lines; for example when screening athletes it is essential to look at them moving in multiple directions relevant to their individual sport. A very important aspect of movement analysis is balance and proprioception which can be the major contributor to the most common sports injury there is; an inversion ankle sprain and the most common reason behind trips and falls particularly in the elderly. So movement and gait analysis isn’t just for athletes, but everybody of all ages!
