Gait Analysis

[melly4012]

Yesterday I finally got round to getting a gait analysis. It was pretty intimidating and a little weird to have an extremely sporty looking guy poking, prodding and moving my feet around but he seemed to know what he was talking about (I certainly didn't understand half of it).

It turns out my gait is weird. Like, really really quite strange. He videoed me on the treadmill so I could see and I flick my feet out and around as I run and then I land on just the outside edge of my foot at a very strange, almost 45 degree angle. I think we worked out that it's probably due to years of living in high heels, a high arch and tight plantar fascia & achilles. Luckily my posture and alignment is good from the knees up so I don't look odd running unless you look down closely at my feet. The good news is that my gait is so strange that there is no point wearing corrective shoes so I can have any kind of neutral shoes, ideally stable with cushioning. Didn't buy anything on the day but will be hunting around for something that feels comfortable.

Worth doing though if anyone is considering it! It's interesting to be aware of your quirks and learning how all the parts of the foot and leg work as you run is fascinating!

[yatesco Graduate]

Now I want to see that video

[Clawmum Graduate in reply to yatesco]

me too lol

[melly4012 Graduate in reply to Clawmum]

I wish I'd taken some pictures of it now!! It really was odd - can't believe I don't fall over considering I land on the very outside edge of my foot!

[Clawmum Graduate in reply to melly4012]

Now you know you will be more conscious of it too lol, when i had mine done i was more embarrassed about running on a treadmill in the middle of a shop haha but was relieved at how normal my running was

[Zev1963 Graduate]

Yes, gait analysis is fascinating I broke my ankle quite badly 23 yrs ago, and still have a 6 inch scar to prove it where they put in and took out the metalwork

So I expected to have a problematic gait. I know that the toes of my right foot point outward a little still. I guess that I never worked hard enough on the physio at the time

Anyway, when I had gait analysis done I was keen to see what I was doing. It turns out that while my right foot points outward more than my left as I run, my gait is in fact totally neutral. Both feet land perfectly horizontally. It was a real surprise seeing it

[melly4012 Graduate in reply to Zev1963]

Good news! Funny isn't it everything that goes into walking/running. We clearly manage to right things that we do wrong or make up for it in other ways. The human body is just fascinating!

[davelinks Graduate]

I've noticed a lot of ladies flicking their feet out and around as they run, but to land on just the outside edge? There must be a lot of wear showing on your current shoe's.

My wife had a gait analysis done recently and found she was also neutral. In the end she went to sportsdirect.com and tried some on and went for a pair of Karrimor shoes with cushioning in the sale at £33, down from £100, she say's they feel good & comfy..

[melly4012 Graduate in reply to davelinks]

Really, do you notice it quite a lot? I wonder if it's the high heels thing that causes it? The man in the shop seemed confused at how I could actually run in that way. I always wear my shoes down very quickly on the outside edge, even boots, etc. Need them reheeled every six weeks! It is good news about neutral shoes though, gives me more options I'd imagine.

[davelinks Graduate in reply to melly4012]

No, not a lot, but have noticed some women running that way, must be in their biomechanical makeup...or as you say, high heels..