Gait analysis and Treatment

Analysis of your feet, ankles and legs during the process of gait could be important factor in determining the cause of foot pain and the appropriate treatments. Abnormal gait can cause many problems, such as heel pain and bunions. Each aspect of your gait could be an indicator of the underlying causes of your foot pain. Your problem could occur when your foot strikes the ground, when your foot is in the air, or when you are pushing off of the ground. Improper gait mechanics overtime can cause pain to rise up your body. You could experience knee pain, hip pain or back pain in relation to the way that you walk. Discrepancey of the length of your legs could also be a contributing factor to your pains.

Children are the patients for whom we most commonly have to perform gait analysis. Children's feet and gait undergo many alterations as they grow from their first step into adults. Their toes may point inwards or outwards while they walk, or issues could only occur while they are running. All of the physicians at Community Foot Specialists are trained in gait analysis and diagnosing conditions simply by watching children walk or run.

Treatments for gait problems can vary depending on the condition. If the pain is causing the gait abnormality, we will need to treat the underlying condition. If the gait itself is causing the pain in your feet or other parts of your body, we will develop a treatment regiment that corrects the gait abnormality. A pair of custom orthotics could help with many of the issues that arise during gait. Sometimes muscles need to be strengthened or you may need to be retrained to walk properly. In these cases, we would recommend a series of visits to a physical therapist to help with exercises to make the muscles of the foot and leg stronger. In any case, we will take the time to analyze your gait and the biomechanics of your foot and ankle to ensure the correct resolution of your gait problems.