What Is Gait Analysis?
Understanding Running Through 3D Gait Analysis
Understanding how you run is an important part of managing pain, preventing injury, and improving efficiency. Gait analysis is a clinical assessment that evaluates how your body moves during walking and running. At Shaw Spine & Sport, we use 3D gait analysis technology to capture detailed, three-dimensional data on joint motion, limb positioning, and movement timing. Multiple cameras and motion-analysis software track your biomechanics in real time, allowing us to identify movement patterns, compensations, and inefficiencies. Your results are used to develop an individualized plan focused on mobility, strength, coordination, and running form, based on your goals and injury history.
Why Gait Analysis Matters
Compared to static posture assessments or isolated joint testing, gait analysis evaluates movement as it occurs during walking or running.
Many injuries are influenced by compensations that happen away from the area of pain. A 3D running gait analysis helps identify these movement patterns, which can contribute to recurring injuries or delayed recovery. Gait analysis is commonly used for runners dealing with injury, individuals returning to activity, and those looking to better understand their movement mechanics.
Shaw Spine & Sport provides gait analysis in Clive, Iowa, serving individuals from Clive and surrounding communities. Our 3D walking and running gait assessments are used to better understand movement patterns and guide individualized care.
Who Is Gait Analysis For?
Gait analysis is appropriate for a wide range of individuals who want to better understand how their movement patterns may be contributing to pain, injury, or inefficiency. This assessment can be helpful for:
- Runners returning from injury who want to identify movement patterns that may increase the risk of re-injury
- Individuals with recurring lower-body pain, including hip, knee, ankle, or foot symptoms
- Those beginning a new training program and looking to establish efficient movement habits early
By analyzing running mechanics in a dynamic setting, gait analysis provides objective information that can help guide individualized care and movement strategies.
Gait Analysis for Running Injuries
Running injuries are commonly associated with training volume, recovery capacity, and running biomechanics. When someone presents with a running-related injury, reviewing training habits is an important first step. A running gait analysis allows us to examine how forces are distributed through the body and where breakdowns may be occurring. This information helps our team guide return-to-running decisions and ongoing care planning.
Conditions Commonly Assessed With Gait Analysis
Gait analysis is commonly used when assessing:
- Iliotibial band syndrome
- Patellofemoral pain (runner’s knee)
- Hip pain during running
- Plantar fasciitis and foot pain
- Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints)
- Achilles tendon pain
- Stress-related bone injuries
Walking vs. Running Gait Analysis
Walking and running place different demands on the body, and each can reveal unique movement patterns. A gait analysis may focus on walking, running, or both, depending on your symptoms, goals, and activity level.
Walking gait analysis evaluates how your body moves during everyday activities. This assessment is commonly used for individuals experiencing hip, knee, ankle, or foot discomfort, balance concerns, or movement limitations during daily walking.
Running gait analysis examines higher-impact movement patterns, including stride mechanics, joint loading, and force absorption. It is often used for runners managing injury, returning to training, or looking to better understand their running biomechanics.
By assessing walking, running, or both, a 3D gait analysis provides detailed insight into how movement patterns change under different demands. This information helps guide individualized recommendations for training, rehabilitation, and movement efficiency.
Gait Analysis for Running Efficiency
Movement patterns that contribute to injury can also influence running efficiency. Factors such as overstriding, ground contact time, and vertical displacement are commonly evaluated during a 3D running gait analysis. Understanding these patterns helps guide technique adjustments and training priorities that support more efficient movement.
What to Expect During a Gait Analysis
Your Gait Analysis Assessment Includes:
- Review of your current training or activity routine
- Functional movement assessment
- Footwear evaluation
- Walking and/or running gait analysis using 3D motion-capture software
- A personalized plan based on your findings
- Ongoing support and progress guidance
Your plan may include warm-up strategies, mobility work, strength exercises, and gait-specific cues based on your assessment results.
Next Steps After Gait Analysis
Gait analysis provides objective information about how you move and how that movement relates to pain, performance, or injury history. Our team uses this data to guide individualized care and training recommendations.
Schedule a gait analysis to better understand your walking or running mechanics and determine appropriate next steps.
