Gait Analysis: Is Your Walk Hurting You?

The average adult takes somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 steps a day. Multiply a small mechanical inefficiency by that volume and you get a very plausible explanation for pain that "came out of nowhere." Gait analysis is how we find it.

What gait analysis actually is

A structured observation of how you walk (and run, if relevant): how your foot strikes and rolls, what your knees do under load, how your hips control each stance phase, how your pelvis and trunk respond. We watch from multiple angles, at different speeds, sometimes slowed down on video — and we pair what we see with strength and mobility testing on the table, because the why behind a gait pattern matters more than the pattern itself.

Clues your walk might be involved

• Shoes that wear dramatically unevenly (inner edge, outer heel)
• Pain that builds with distance rather than intensity — fine for a block, aching by the third kilometre
• Recurring single-side problems: always the left shin, always the right hip
• Foot pain in the morning or after long standing days
• A history of ankle sprains that never got rehabilitated
• People telling you that you "walk funny" after an old injury

The usual findings

Overpronation that overworks the plantar fascia and shins; weak hip abductors letting the knee collapse inward each step; limited big-toe or ankle mobility forcing the foot to cheat outward; a stiff old ankle quietly shifting load to the other leg for years. None of these are exotic — and all of them are fixable.

What happens with the findings

Depending on the driver, your plan may include targeted strengthening (hips and feet most often), mobility work for restricted joints, footwear guidance, gait retraining cues, or custom orthotics when structural alignment needs support. Usually it's a combination — support what can't change, strengthen what can.

If your body keeps developing the same complaint, your walk is worth a look. Book a gait assessment at 587-355-3555 — Nolan Hill Physiotherapy & Massage, NW Calgary, open 7 days a week.