How a Running Gait Analysis Can Transform Your Training
By Dr. Trish Kana, PT, DPT
Running is one of the most natural human movements—but no two people run exactly the same. Next time you're out and about, take a look around: some runners glide effortlessly, others bounce or shuffle, each with their own rhythm, form, and style. As physical therapists, we see this all the time—and we love it. Every runner has a unique gait.
A running gait analysis with a trained professional is a powerful and nuanced tool that can help take your running performance to the next level. Our goal isn’t to change your individual gait, but to refine it. By making small and purposeful adjustments, we can help improve your running efficiency and potentially reduce your risk of injury—without taking away what makes your stride your own. In fact, research supports that over-correction of certain elements of your natural gait can backfire and actually lead to injury. This often happens when load is shifted to a different part of the body that isn't yet conditioned to handle the new stress.
For example, if we told every runner to switch from a rearfoot strike to a forefoot strike, that would significantly increase the load on the Achilles tendons and calf muscles. Without proper training and adaptation, those runners might return to us hobbling with Achilles or calf pain—which is the opposite of what we want. Our goal is to help you run smarter and better—not to look like a robot or force yourself into a running style that doesn't come naturally to you.
What Do We Do During a Gait Analysis?
As physical therapists and running specialists, we have extensive training in movement and gait analysis. We start by observing you through a series of dynamic and single-leg movements, which often reveal patterns of weakness, compensation, or asymmetry that may show up during your run.
For example, we might have you stand on one leg and observe how well you can control your pelvis. Why? Because running is essentially a series of single leg hops and mini squats. If you have trouble stabilizing your trunk and pelvis in a static position, it will likely be even harder in the dynamic and high-impact activity of running.
We also assess specific muscle strength, especially your calves! Did you know that your calf muscles must absorb forces up to six times your bodyweight while running? We also evaluate mobility throughout the kinetic chain: trunk, hips, knees, ankles, midfeet, and toes. Large mobility differences from side to side could result in running asymmetries. While asymmetry is not inherently a problem, if it’s accompanied by pain or chronic injury, it’s something we absolutely want to address.
Once on the treadmill, we’ll have you jog at your typical “easy pace” or have you crank up the speed and see how your body naturally adjusts under higher demand. We record your movement from both the side view and rear view to analyze your gait in the sagittal and frontal planes
So what are we looking at?
From the side-view:
Foot strike: Are you landing on your rearfoot (heel), midfoot, or forefoot? Is it consistent from side to side?
Overstriding: How far in front of your center of mass is your foot at initial contact? Is your knee bent or straight when your foot hits the ground?
Trunk lean: Are you leaning forward from your ankles or hinging at your hips? Are you overextending your spine and wasting energy with vertical motion?
Arm swing: Are you holding your elbows too tightly or swinging excessively? Is there unwanted movement in the shoulder complex that could be wasting energy?
From the rear-view:
Foot mechanics: Does your foot collapse easily into pronation or does it stay rigid in supination throughout the gait cycle?
Cross-over gait: Are your feet or knees crossing the midline with each stride? Do your shoes touch each other while running?
Pelvis/hips: Is there a noticeable drop in one side of your pelvis during single-leg stance?
There are many other things that catch our attention during a running gait analysis, but these are the big ones. We also track your cadence while you’re running and may ask if you have data from previous runs (if you record on your watch or using Strava) to compare to typical outdoor run data. Cadence is your step rate or how many times your feet hit the ground in a minute. If this number is slower than ideal or if it’s coupled with a finding of overstriding, cadence training might be our first recommendation. This looks like practicing a faster turnover rate of your feet while running. Again, just like with all of our recommendations, we are not trying to completely transform your running style. For cadence, this might mean going from 160bpm (beats per minute) to 165bpm during training. The difference is hardly even noticeable when you listen to that beat change on a metronome but you feel it while you’re running!
We typically recommend 3-4 individualizes exercises based on your unique running gait analysis + movement assessment, as well as your goals. One of our favorite parts is the follow-up, usually 3-4 months later after you’ve been training with your customized plan. We can reassess your form, evaluate progress, and make small tweaks to continue to optimize your running efficiency.
Running is a journey- and we love being part of yours!