We’re pleased to offer gait analysis at the clinic as part of our comprehensive commitment to your health and rehabilitation.
Most people associate gait analysis with running stores. You know—you hop on the treadmill and run and then the salesperson offers you the magical pair of running shoes that will correct your gait and all of the problems associated with it. If only it were that simple!
Here at OSMI, we approach gait analysis from a more scientific perspective. Gait analysis is often used to help athletes run more efficiently, but it is also useful in the clinical environment—to identify posture-related or movement-related problems that may be associated with injuries. This is important to us because we are committed to using non-surgical treatment whenever possible.
Many injuries are the result of faulty movement patterns. Sometimes these injuries require surgery, but other times we can address them with physical therapy. Gait analysis is one of the many tools our physical therapists use to identify and address faulty movement patterns.
Gait analysis uncovers the biomechanics of how your body moves. It is highly individualized. In a sense, gait analysis can help us unravel the biomechanical puzzle of you. Then we can use this information to make corrections, eliminate faulty movement patterns, and prevent injuries.
During gait analysis, we evaluate your body standing still and in motion. Your feet are only one small component of your overall gait—and we like to look at all of the components. We’ll evaluate your stability, mobility, flexibility, and functional strength to develop an overall picture of your gait and your movement patterns.
Many (if not, most) people have movement patterns that include what we refer to as compensations. Muscular weakness or tightness can cause us to compensate, or adjust our movement to accommodate that weakness or tightness. This compensation can lead to aches and pains, restricted joint function, less efficient movement, and a higher risk of injury.
Put simply, compensation leads to imbalance and imbalance leads to injury.
We want to uncover your unique compensations in order to restore balance to the body. By addressing the underlying causes of your unique dysfunctional movement patterns, we can help you change these movement patterns and reduce pain and further injury.
Gait analysis is just one of the many tools we use to keep you moving, active, and enjoying life.
