Why Does a Podiatrist Watch the Way I Walk?
If you’ve ever been to see a podiatrist before, they may have had you perform something called a gait analysis. Have you ever wondered why this is and what its importance is in your diagnosis and treatment plan?
How you walk can reveal a lot about your foot health, so a gait analysis is the study of how a person walks. If you’re experiencing a foot or ankle-related problem, such as pain or poor function, a gait analysis can provide your podiatrist with information about why this may be.
With more than 30 years experience in the provision of comprehensive foot care services, the team at Midland Podiatry is well-versed in gait analysis and its use in devising treatment plans. Contact us today for more information or to have your gait assessed.
Why is a Gait Analysis Important?
A gait analysis can reveal whether there’s an issue with your foot mechanics (such as flat feet or high arches) or your gait pattern (such as overpronation or supination), as well as the timing and extent of these issues.
Each person moves slightly differently, so has their own unique pattern of walking (known as your gait cycle). It’s a podiatrist’s job to assess your cycle and use this to determine how they can relieve your pain or get you walking more efficiently. It’s also useful for monitoring progress, improving performance, and preventing injuries.
Once the analysis is complete, your podiatrist can use the information to develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your specific needs, from orthotics or physical therapy to changing footwear or altering your gait pattern.
How Does a Gait Analysis Work?
There’s a lot more to a gait analysis than simply watching you walk. It’s actually an in-depth biomechanical assessment that employs state-of-the-art technology (such as video cameras and pressure sensors) to help podiatrists detect and treat gait abnormalities as effectively as possible.
An analysis will reveal all sorts of things about your feet, such as whether you apply too much or too little pressure to specific areas when walking, whether your feet or ankles are misaligned, and whether the sides of your body move asymmetrically or not.
Unless you’re in significant pain, you’ll find that you do a lot of walking or running during your consultation. This is so your podiatrist can watch your full gait cycle for both legs, giving them an understanding of how they work (both separately and together).
Understanding the Gait Cycle
Your podiatrist will examine how your entire leg – hips, knees, ankles, and feet – moves during your gait cycle, looking for key markers that may help to explain your pain or injury.
- Hips
The position of your hips can affect the rest of your gait cycle, as they help to stabilise the leg and help it to clear the ground when moving forward. Your podiatrist will examine your hip from the left, right, front, and back to determine how your hip functions and whether any weaknesses are apparent. - Knees
Flexion and extension of the knee are essential throughout the gait cycle – the knee must flex to allow the foot to clear the ground, and it must be stable enough to withstand the load. Pain, weakness, and injury can alter the way that the knees function, causing the rest of the lower leg to compensate. - Ankles
The ankle predominately moves in two directions during the gait cycle – plantarflexion (up) and dorsiflexion (down). These movements are essential for allowing the feet to move through all of their necessary stages. Weakness, instability, or injury can impact the movement of the rest of the limb. - Rearfoot (Heel) and Midfoot
In a normal gait cycle, the heel is the first part of the foot to touch the ground and signals the beginning of the cycle. The position of the heel can affect how the rest of the foot moves through the cycle. Once the whole foot is placed onto the ground, the midfoot is needed to stabilise the body, absorb impact, and prepare the foot for propulsion. - Toes and Forefoot
These are responsible for the propulsion phase of the gait cycle (when your toes are flexed and your heel is off the ground as you move forward). If your forefeet isn’t able to withstand the pressure exerted, other parts of the foot must compensate. The big toe is also essential in its own right as the main driving force in propelling forwards.
Choose Midland Podiatry for Your Gait Analysis
If you’re experiencing pain or other symptoms associated with your feet and ankles, gait analysis has the potential to be life-changing. It can provide your podiatrist with important information about a condition you may have developed, why an injury occurred, or why it may not be improving.
The experienced team at Midland Podiatry regularly performs gait analysis with our patients, so you can rest assured that you’re in good hands when you book with us.
