What is gait analysis.
Gait analysis has been around for over 130 years when E.J. Marey a French scientist
first looked at assessment of human gait both pathological and non-pathological using
multiple cameras at the same time in sequence. This provided a revolutionary method
of providing information about gait that could be numerically measured and qualified.
Gait analysis has come along way from this pioneering but basic method of the assessment
of human movement. The modern computer systems, digital cameras and software applications
are far beyond what Marey could ever have envisioned. The ability to slow down, freeze
frame and superimpose angles on a moving picture provides the modern clinician with
incredible additional information of lower limb kinematics (branch of mechanics that
studies the motion of a body) and function resulting in a greater understanding as
to why the patient is experiencing a particular injury or problem.
What are the benefits of gait analysis?
Gait analysis is not necessary for everyone, if a non sports person just needs orthotics
to bring their feet back into a more neutral position then a biomechanical assessment
and some exercises alone would be enough. However if a person has a musculoskeletal
injury which occurs during or after exercise, gait analysis enables the clinician
to assess the persons gait pattern in slow motion looking for any anomalies that
might be present. These anomalies such as abnormal pronation during gait pattern,
how the feet are landing, rotational movement of the tibia and progression of the
legs are all important factors that cannot be picked up from a non-dynamic assessment.
The body in general although made up of different segments function as a closed kinetic
chain i.e. the position and movement of one body segments has a related impact on
another segment. An example of this is excessive and prolonged pronation of the foot
may result in inside ankle pain, Achilles tendon discomfort, shin splints, knee pain
(altered Q angle), hip and lower back pain etc. The ability to actually see this
abnormal movement enable more precision orthotics to be made and exercises to counteract
the abnormal forces which cause musculoskeletal injuries.
