Walking & Running Assessments in Canberra
What is gait analysis?
Gait analysis is an assessment of how your feet, ankles, legs and the rest of your body move together during walking or running. It looks at things like foot posture, joint movement, balance, coordination and how your body manages load through each step.
Why does gait analysis matter?
Sometimes pain or recurring injury is influenced by the way different parts of the body are moving together. Gait analysis can help identify movement patterns, asymmetries or loading differences that may be contributing to pain, fatigue, reduced efficiency or difficulty with certain activities.
How do podiatrists assess gait?
- Walking in the hallway, with or without video gait analysis
- Zebris treadmill gait and pressure analysis (see below for more detail)
- Outdoor walking or running on different surfaces, slopes or at your usual pace
- Functional movement assessment, including balance, hopping, squatting or sport-specific movements where relevant
- Review of footwear and innersoles, including fit, support and wear patterns
Podiatrists can assess how your feet and lower limbs move together
Zebris pressure, stance and gait analysis
Our Zebris treadmill has thousands of individually calibrated pressure sensors beneath the belt. These sensors measure how pressure and force are distributed under your feet while you stand, walk or run, giving us objective information about how you load each foot.
Zebris can provide information about:
- Pressure distribution under each foot
- Differences between the left and right sides
- Step length and step width
- Stance and swing phases of gait
- Timing and symmetry between steps
- How pressure moves through the foot during each step
- Load distribution while standing
The results are viewed alongside our clinical and visual assessment, helping your Podiatrist build a more detailed picture of how you stand and move. Zebris can also compare measurements taken at different times, which makes it useful for assessing changes following treatment or rehabilitation.
We may also repeat the analysis with an intervention in place, such as different footwear, padding or orthotics, to see how it changes pressure distribution or gait.
Podiatrists can use gait analysis to help identify factors contributing to pain, injury or fatigue
How does gait analysis help guide treatment?
The information from your gait analysis is considered alongside your symptoms, medical history, activity levels and findings from your musculoskeletal assessment.
Your podiatrist will explain the results and discuss whether any differences in movement, pressure, symmetry or loading may be contributing to your pain, injury, fatigue or movement concerns.
The findings can then help guide your treatment plan, which may include footwear changes, strengthening or mobility exercises, activity modification, orthotic therapy, taping, padding, bracing or treatment for an underlying injury.
Gait or pressure analysis may also be repeated with an intervention in place, such as different footwear, padding or orthotics, to see how it changes the way you stand, walk or run. Further reassessment can also be used to monitor progress over time.