Step by Step: How Gait Analysis Could Improve Your Running
Running is one of the most accessible forms of aerobic exercise and offers many health benefits. It can improve your cardiovascular function, bone health, and your muscular strength/endurance. It can also be a great mood booster. However, with running, as with any sporting activity, there is some risk of injury.
Running-related injuries usually occur in the lower extremities—feet, ankle, calves, knees, and hips. These injuries can happen for a variety of reasons, but they often develop when runners quickly change their mileage, speed, or elevation gain/loss. Making changes too quickly can exploit flaws in your body mechanics leading to overuse injuries.
Each individual has their own unique set of running mechanics which is based on their skeletal structure, strength and core stability, any past injuries that they have had, their footwear (e.g. minimalist vs. cushioned shoes), and even where they like to run (trail vs road). Running mechanics also include stride length, cadence (steps per minute), foot strike, knee position at impact, trunk position, and pelvic control, to name a few.
Running with less than ideal mechanics can lead a runner to overload certain structures such as the plantar fascia, achilles/calf, knee joint, or even the hip joint. This may cause pain or injury. Additionally, less than ideal mechanics can reduce running efficiency—leaving untapped potential in speed, power, and endurance. For example, if someone is overstriding while running (low cadence), they are applying braking forces on impact instead of maximizing forward momentum.
Running mechanics can be assessed and improved. By focusing on more ideal running mechanics, runners can improve their efficiency, reduce their risk of injury, and achieve their running goals.
Conducted by a physical therapist, a gait analysis program utilizes a specialized treadmill, cameras, and software to analyze movement patterns. This allows for the identification and correction of any abnormalities, asymmetries, or inefficiencies that may be causing pain or impacting performance.
A physical therapist can also assess flexibility, strength, endurance, and dynamic control during the initial evaluation. Be sure to share information about your running goals such as intended distance, elevation changes, and pace/speed.
Armed with the information from a gait analysis and from a detailed evaluation, a therapist can then prescribe a customized running program. This program may include run retraining strategies, strengthening exercises, mobility drills, and dynamic control activities.
Runners of all types can benefit from gait analysis. Be it part of rehabilitation following injury or a tool in injury prevention. Gait analysis may be your key to unlocking years of enjoyment in your running shoes.
Dan Thour, DPT is a Physical Therapist who specializes in gait analysis at Barton Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. Gait Analysis is available at Barton Rehabilitation’s Stateline office, as well as the Center for Orthopedics & Wellness in South Lake Tahoe. For more information or to schedule a video running analysis, call 530.539.6675 or visit BartonHealth.org.
