What should you know about zebris gait analysis?

During the assessment, you walk across or on a sensor-equipped system, sometimes at different speeds or with different footwear. The equipment can map how force travels under each foot and compare the timing of steps. A clinician may also look at stride consistency, weight transfer, balance, and differences between the two sides. These findings do not diagnose every cause of pain on their own. They add movement information to a physical examination and your history.

The results may help clarify whether a foot, ankle, knee, hip, or lower-back problem changes the way you load your legs. A related [Pressure Plate Gait Scanner](/technology/pressure-plate-gait-scanner/) focuses on pressure distribution, while [3D Motion Capture](/technology/3d-motion-capture/) can add information about joint movement.

Wear comfortable clothing and bring the shoes you commonly use for walking, work, or exercise. Tell the clinician about pain, recent injuries, surgery, braces, and activities that make your symptoms worse. Walk as naturally as you can rather than trying to correct your pattern during the test. Afterward, ask which findings are clinically meaningful and what change is being targeted.

The assessment might inform exercise selection, footwear advice, or [Custom Orthotics](/treatments/non-surgical-orthopedics/custom-orthotics/), but an orthotic is not automatically needed because a scan shows an asymmetry. Progress is better judged alongside symptoms, strength, function, and your goals.

Arrange a clinical review if walking difficulty is new, worsening, or accompanied by weakness, numbness, repeated falls, marked swelling, or pain after a significant injury. Seek urgent help for sudden loss of strength, new loss of bladder or bowel control, or a foot that becomes cold, pale, or severely painful. A gait scan should not delay assessment of these warning signs.

Ask: What part of my walking pattern needs attention? Could pain be changing the result? Which exercises or footwear changes match the findings? When should the assessment be repeated? How will we know that treatment is helping in daily activities?