What should you know about dynamic gait analysis?

During an assessment, you may walk or run while a clinician observes you and uses sensors, video, or a pressure-sensitive surface. The review can include step timing, foot contact, balance, joint motion, stride symmetry, and how force moves through the feet and legs.

A pressure plate shows where and when the foot loads the ground. Three-dimensional motion capture can add information about movement at the ankle, knee, hip, and pelvis. The findings are interpreted with your symptoms, footwear, injury history, strength, and goals; a screen does not diagnose a condition by itself.

Wear comfortable clothing and bring the shoes you normally use for work, walking, or sport. Tell the clinician about pain, recent injuries, braces, orthotics, and activities that trigger symptoms. You may be asked to walk barefoot and in shoes, then repeat a task so the pattern can be compared.

Results may support changes to exercise technique, training load, footwear, or a referral for custom orthotics. The most useful plan connects a measured movement pattern to a specific symptom or functional goal rather than treating a screen result in isolation.

Pause the assessment and tell the clinician if walking causes sharp pain, sudden instability, dizziness, chest symptoms, or new numbness. Seek medical assessment for an acutely swollen joint, inability to bear weight, or weakness that appears suddenly. Persistent pain after testing deserves a review of the underlying problem.

Which movement finding relates to my symptoms? Was the pattern different between sides, shoes, or walking speeds? What exercise or footwear change follows from the result? Would custom orthotics help my specific functional goal, and how will we reassess them?