Gait Analysis Explained: What It Measures and Who Needs It
Gait analysis is the structured assessment of how you walk or run, used to spot abnormal movement patterns and work out what is behind them. It can range from a clinician watching you move to a laboratory session with motion-capture cameras. It is most useful when you have pain, a persistent injury or a walking difficulty that a standard examination does not fully explain. For most healthy runners, it is a way to understand your movement, not a test you must pass.
TL;DR
Gait analysis measures how your joints, muscles and feet work together as you walk or run, using observation, video, pressure plates, sensors or full 3D motion capture.
Hospital gait laboratories treat it as a measurement tool for complex walking problems. A session can take one to two hours.
For runners, research does not support using movement measurements alone to predict who will get injured. It is best used alongside your history, training load and strength.
For knee pain, gait findings can shape a rehabilitation plan, and gait retraining has shown benefit in patellofemoral pain when it is delivered by a trained clinician.
A physiotherapy assessment is the sensible first step if you are unsure whether you need a gait analysis.
Table of Contents
What gait analysis is
The 2024 review in Orthopaedics and Trauma defines gait analysis as the assessment of gait and identification of abnormalities. The same article describes the gait cycle as two phases. The stance phase is when your foot is on the ground. The swing phase is when it moves through the air to the next step.
Every step you take repeats that cycle. Gait analysis looks at how well each part of it works, and whether anything is out of pattern: a hip that drops, a knee that collapses inwards, a foot that rolls too far or pushes off weakly, or a stride that is shorter on one side.
The term covers a lot of ground. Some people mean a five-minute treadmill video in a shop. Others mean a clinical laboratory assessment. A physiotherapist may also simply watch you walk, squat, step and run as part of an examination. All of these are gait analysis, but they answer different questions.
What a gait assessment measures
Clinical laboratories break gait down into several types of data. The Oxford Gait Laboratory, part of Oxford University Hospitals, lists kinematics, kinetics, plantar pressure, electromyography and temporal parameters. In plain terms:
What is measured | What it tells you |
Kinematics | Joint angles, movement, speed and acceleration in each plane of motion |
Kinetics | The forces acting on the body, such as ground reaction force measured through force platforms |
Plantar pressure | How force is spread across the sole of the foot during a step |
Electromyography | The electrical activity of muscles, showing when they switch on and off |
Temporal parameters | Cadence, walking speed, stride length and step length and timing |
A 2024 review notes that newer approaches include two-dimensional camera systems and wearable devices. Small wearable sensors can record timing and spacing of steps, and researchers are exploring machine learning to estimate more detailed data from them.
What happens in a hospital gait laboratory
The most detailed version is the instrumented assessment. At the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, 10 cameras track reflective markers placed on the legs to measure hip, knee and ankle movement and ground forces. Those measurements can be used to calculate leg-muscle power, and electrodes on the skin can record muscle activity.
The RNOH describes the process as a clinical assessment of joints and muscles by a specially trained physiotherapist, then placing the markers, then walking on a treadmill for up to 15 minutes. The whole appointment may take between one and two hours.
The Oxford laboratory uses 16 motion-capture cameras, force plates, a pressure plate and electromyography. It says the results let clinicians measure abnormal walking patterns, identify the cause of walking difficulties and guide decisions on treatment, therapy and orthotics. The results can also be used to evaluate how well a treatment has worked.
These services are built for complex problems. The Glasgow Clinical Gait Analysis Laboratory, for example, assesses people with complex gait problems and expects patients to be able to walk at least 15 metres and cope with a session that can last up to two hours. Oxford asks that patients can walk at least 30 metres, in a fairly straight line, and follow instructions. Referral is usually through a clinician, so a laboratory is not something most people with an ordinary running niggle need.
Gait analysis for runners
Running gait analysis applies the same ideas to running. A clinician or coach films you on a treadmill or outdoors, usually from behind and the side. They look at foot strike, how far your foot lands in front of your body, cadence (steps per minute), trunk position, hip and pelvis control, and how your knee tracks over your foot.
The purpose is to understand your technique and, where there is a problem, to link it to the symptoms you feel. A clear finding might be a pelvis that drops on one side when you land, which points towards hip strength work. A very long stride with a heavy heel strike may be worth adjusting if you are struggling with shin or knee pain.
Can it predict running injuries?
This is where the evidence needs care. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis in Sports Medicine - Open examined 30 studies of 3,404 runners and over 100 biomechanical and musculoskeletal factors. It concluded that the literature does not generally support these measures as risk factors for running-related injury in non-elite runners, and that injury-prevention advice cannot be based on them alone.
A 2024 scoping review in Sports Medicine adds useful context. It found that runners can be sorted into distinct movement sub-groups, but injuries were spread randomly across those groups. One movement pattern is unlikely to explain a given running injury. The authors suggest that several movement patterns may only lead to injury when combined with enough training load, and they recommend managing athletes individually.
The practical meaning is straightforward. Your running style is one piece of information. Your recent training changes, your strength, your recovery, your footwear and your injury history matter as well. The same logic applies in team sport, where a good injury risk assessment in football combines several sources of information rather than relying on one test. We cover the wider picture in our guide to biomechanics for sports injury prevention and recovery and in why injury prevention matters for athletes.
Can changing your gait help?
There is evidence that running technique can be changed. A 2022 systematic review in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy pooled 19 trials with 673 participants. It found moderate-certainty evidence that step rate retraining increased step rate and reduced average vertical loading rate. Two trials showed fewer injuries after one year. The authors noted that too few trials reported pain outcomes to draw firm conclusions about pain.
So retraining can change how you load your body. Whether that reduces pain depends on the person and the problem, which is why the assessment should come before the retraining.
Gait analysis for knee pain
Knee pain is one of the most common reasons runners and walkers ask about gait. Pain at the front of the knee, around or behind the kneecap, is often called patellofemoral pain. Movement patterns such as the knee drifting inwards on landing, a weak hip or a heavy landing are commonly examined.
Research by Davis and colleagues states that faulty movement patterns have been associated with patellofemoral pain, and that strengthening alone does not alter these patterns. They argue that movement retraining should be part of a therapist’s skillset for this condition. In the studies they reviewed, those using faded feedback with 8 to 18 sessions over 2 to 6 weeks showed the greatest pain reduction and the most lasting change. Sessions were typically 3 to 4 a week, with later sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes.
That should be set against the wider evidence. A 2022 meta-analysis in JOSPT found six treatments with positive effects at 3 months for patellofemoral pain, including knee-targeted exercise therapy, combined interventions, foot orthoses and lower-quadrant manual therapy. The 2018 international consensus statement treated gait retraining as an add-on to other treatment rather than a separate category, and called for better trials.
In practice, gait findings are most useful when they sit inside a full plan: strengthening, load management, and movement retraining where the assessment shows it is relevant. For a structured example, read our 6 week plan for patellofemoral pain exercises or our guide to patellar tracking disorder exercises. For the walking side of things, see our physio-led gait retraining exercises.
If your knee pain began after a sporting injury, our article on what causes sports knee injuries explains the common patterns. Sudden swelling, a knee that locks or gives way, or pain after a fall needs to be examined by a clinician before you start any exercise programme.
Do you need a gait analysis?
A useful way to decide is to ask what question you want answered.
A gait analysis is worth considering if:
You have pain in the foot, ankle, knee, hip or back that keeps returning and has no obvious cause.
You are recovering from surgery or injury and still limp or favour one side.
You are a runner with a repeated injury in the same place.
Your walking has changed and a clinician wants to understand why.
You are returning to sport and want to check that both sides move and load evenly.
It is probably not necessary if:
You are a healthy runner with no pain and simply curious. The research above suggests that your measurements alone will not predict injury.
You have just started running and your main need is a gradual training plan and some basic strength work.
In most cases, the first step is not a specialist laboratory. It is a physiotherapy assessment, where a clinician takes your history, examines your joints, muscles and movement, and decides whether a closer look at your gait would add anything. Our guide to what a physiotherapy assessment involves walks through that appointment.
How to prepare for an assessment
Whether it is a clinic appointment or a running assessment, a few simple steps make the session more useful.
Wear suitable clothing. Shorts and a fitted top let the clinician see your joints. For running, bring the shoes you train in, not new ones.
Bring your history. Note when the pain started, what makes it better or worse, previous injuries, scans and any surgery.
Describe your training. Weekly distance, recent changes in pace, terrain or shoes, and any rest days.
Be ready to move. Expect to walk, step, squat and possibly run, and say if any movement hurts.
Ask what the findings mean for you. A good assessment should end with a clear explanation and a plan, not just a list of measurements.
Perspective
We see gait analysis as a way of answering a specific question, not as a test in its own right. The strongest results come when the observations about how you move are linked to what you feel, what you do in training and what your strength and mobility look like. Our multidisciplinary team has been treating people in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire since 1986. In that time, we have found that people get the most from an assessment when it leads straight into a plan: exercise, treatment where it is appropriate, and clear guidance on returning to activity. That is why we start with a full physiotherapy assessment. It lets us decide, with you, whether a closer look at your walking or running is useful and what to do with the findings. Our team can also arrange imaging referrals when a scan is needed to understand the problem. Ivan
Booking an assessment with us
If you are living with pain that changes how you walk or run, a physiotherapy assessment at Parks Therapy Centre is a practical starting point. The published prices are:
Physiotherapy Assessment: £76
Physiotherapy Treatment: £67
Physiotherapy Assessment (Double): £102
Physiotherapy Treatment (Double): £77
We also accept the major health insurance plans. You can see every service and price on our prices page, or start from the Parks Therapy Centre home page to book online.
If shockwave therapy, Pilates or sports massage may suit your recovery, they are listed on the same page, so you can plan your care in one place.
FAQ
What is gait analysis in simple terms?
It is a way of studying how you walk or run to find out whether any part of your movement is unusual or inefficient. It can be done by careful observation, video, pressure or sensor measurement, or full 3D motion capture in a hospital laboratory.
How long does a gait analysis take?
It depends on the type. A clinic or running assessment is typically part of a standard appointment. A hospital laboratory session is longer: the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital says the whole process may take between one and two hours, including the examination and marker placement.
Will gait analysis stop me getting injured?
Not on its own. Research on non-elite runners does not support using movement measurements alone to predict injury. It works best as one part of an assessment that also considers training load, strength and your injury history.
Can gait analysis help with knee pain?
It can help a clinician see whether the way you land, turn or control your hip is adding to the problem. Studies on patellofemoral pain suggest movement retraining can be a useful addition to exercise. See a physiotherapist first if the pain is persistent, or if the knee swells, locks or gives way.
Sources
Understanding gait assessment and analysis, Orthopaedics and Trauma (2024)
Motor Learning Laboratory, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
The Effectiveness of Gait Retraining on Running Kinematics, JOSPT (2022)
Gait Retraining as an Intervention for Patellofemoral Pain (2020)
Six Treatments Have Positive Effects at 3 Months for People with Patellofemoral Pain, JOSPT (2022)
2018 Consensus statement on exercise therapy and physical interventions for patellofemoral pain
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