What is a pressure plate gait scanner used for?

The plate contains sensors that record where the foot contacts the surface and how load shifts from heel to forefoot and from one side to the other. A clinician may compare the left and right foot, observe timing through a step and look for patterns linked with altered balance, painful loading, footwear problems or movement compensation. The result is one part of an assessment; it does not diagnose every cause of pain and does not replace a physical examination, medical history or other tests when those are needed.

Wear comfortable clothing and bring the shoes you commonly use if the clinic asks to assess them. Walk at a natural pace and tell the assessor about pain, braces, orthotics or recent injuries. The test is usually brief and involves standing or walking across the plate more than once. Avoid changing your stride to produce a particular result. The clinician can then relate the measurements to your symptoms and functional goals.

Arrange medical assessment for new inability to bear weight, rapidly increasing swelling, marked weakness, a hot red joint with fever, or numbness that is spreading. Seek urgent care for a deformed limb, severe pain after an injury, or a foot that becomes cold, pale or blue. A gait scan can inform rehabilitation, but urgent symptoms require direct clinical evaluation.

What movement problem are we investigating? Should I be tested barefoot, in my usual shoes or with my orthotics? How will the results change my exercises, footwear advice or need for further assessment?