Running Gait Analysis: What it is, what it isn’t, and how it can help you run better

Recreational running is a great way to stay fit, clear your head and socialize with others who love to pound the pavement. But like any physical activity, running has its injury risks, most notably to the lower extremities. Sadly, many runners have been led to believe that avoiding injury is a simple matter of finding the right shoe.

It is true that supportive athletic footwear provides some protection from injury in any sport. A well-fitted shoe provides shock absorption, stability and protection from sticks, stones and potholes. But the fact is that most running injuries have nothing to do with footwear.

Common Running Injuries and Statistics

According to one source, the incidence and prevalence of running injuries ranges from 19% to 92%. While your risk of getting an injury depends on many factors, including age, sex, fitness level, speed, distance and a plethora of other variables, it is fairly safe to say that, even at 19%, your risk of sustaining a running injury is pretty high.

The most common running injuries include:

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), aka runner’s knee

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS)

Stress Fractures

Despite popular belief among runners that wearing the wrong shoes is one of the biggest risk factors for running injuries, research shows that up to 80% of running injuries are due to poor gait mechanics. The remaining percentage is attributed to overtraining, being overweight, and some less common causes.

The Problem with Running Store Gait Analysis

Many big name shoe brands and sporting goods chains offer in-store “gait analysis” for the purpose of helping you select the “right” running shoe. However, there are several problems with the running store approach.

The fallacy of arch type

To begin with, running stores use an outdated and unscientific approach to fitting shoes based on arch type. The concept breaks foot types down into three categories: high arch, normal arch and low arch.

To determine arch height, the customer is asked to stand on a heat-sensitive pad, leaving an impression where their feet make contact. High arch runners are told they “oversupinate” and are recommended a shoe with more cushioning. Normal arch runners are told they are “neutral” and are recommended a shoe for stability. Low arch customers are told they are “overpronators” and steered toward a motion control shoe.

The problem with the arch-type model is that it is not founded on scientific evidence and has been totally debunked by research. It presumes that how your feet make contact while standing on a pad is how they will perform while running. Study after study has shown there is no correlation between arch type, shoe type and incidence of injury.

The shortcomings of video analysis

Some running stores may offer a “video gait analysis” of your feet while running. Using this method, the salesperson determines by observation whether the arch of your weight bearing foot is too high, too low or neutral, taking us back to the disproven arch-type model. While it may help to sell shoes, this is not a true gait analysis, or even a foot analysis.

The fact is that retail salespeople are unqualified to perform a true gait analysis. They have no knowledge of gait mechanics or the mechanisms of running injuries. They are merely regurgitating what they have been told by the shoe manufacturer, for the purpose of selling more shoes.

The Problem with Running Store Gait Analysis

Your running gait is not determined by your arch height, and taking a video of your feet while you run is not enough to analyze your gait. A true gait analysis looks at how your entire body interacts, and assesses how movements in one area can cause overload or imbalances in another.

Quantitative 3D analysis

Today’s gait analysis is more precise and revealing than ever before, thanks to innovations in technology. We are now able to analyze gait in three dimensions to get a clearer picture of faulty gait patterns. Our process involves measuring various gait characteristics, identifying abnormal patterns and pinpointing the underlying cause.

Your hip and trunk mechanics can have a profound effect on how you control movement in your lower limbs. Past injuries, muscle imbalances and other factors can lead to compensation patterns that cause faulty gait mechanics, which can eventually lead to injury. 3D gait analysis enables us to visualize running gait in the transverse plane, where most running injuries occur.

The goal of a true gait analysis is not to help you select the best running shoe. We usd quantitative data to identify and correct deficits in gait mechanics, with the end goals of improving performance and preventing injury.

3D Running Gait Analysis and Retraining in NYC

Our gait analysis technology includes

3D gait analysis equipment and software to measure gait in three dimensions

Instrumented force treadmill to assess dynamic center of pressure

Surface EMG (SEMG) to evaluate muscle activity

Dual force plate technology to monitor bilateral ground reaction forces and restore symmetry

It is important to note that data collected with the most advanced technology is useless without an experienced team of technicians and clinicians to interpret and apply it. The sports medicine team at NYDNRehab has extensive experience with walking and running gait analysis and retraining. We know how to turn hard data into useful information that helps patients correct and restore healthy gait.

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Source

Saragiotto, Bruno Tirotti, Tiê Parma Yamato, and Alexandre Dias Lopes. “What do recreational runners think about risk factors for running injuries? A descriptive study of their beliefs and opinions.” Journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy 44.10 (2014): 733-738.

Range of Available Unique Physical Therapy Treatments at Nydnrehab

Certificates and Postgraduate Education

Lev Kalika Clinical Director and DC, RMSK

Dr.Kalika has revolutionized running injury care and treatment by using high resolution diagnostic ultrasonography for structural diagnosis, combined with sophisticated gait and motion analysis technology. The NYDNRehab running gait analysis lab is the only private lab in the US to feature research-grade technologies found only in the world’s top research labs, and made available to patients in our private clinic. Dr.Kalika’s modern approach to gait and motion analysis has put him on the radar of some of the world’s top distance runners, pro athletes and professional ballet dancers.

Our Specialists

Dr. Mikhail Bernshteyn MD (Internist)

Dr. Michael Goynatsky DPT

Dr. Daniela Escudero DPT

Dr. Michelle Agyakwah DC

Dr. Tatyana Kapustina L. Ac.