What Is a Gait Analysis? Do You Need One? | EnerHealth Toronto
The Short Answer
A gait analysis looks at how you walk and move — your stride, foot strike, and overall movement pattern — to identify imbalances that may be contributing to discomfort in your feet, knees, hips, or lower back.
Why Your Stride Matters More Than You'd Think
Imbalances in foot alignment can carry through the rest of the body: how your foot strikes the ground affects your knees, which affects your hips, which affects your lower back. A gait analysis is a way of catching that chain reaction at the source instead of only treating wherever it happens to be showing up as pain.
How a Gait Analysis Works
Observation of how you walk (and sometimes run), often from multiple angles
Assessment of foot structure and how weight is distributed through each step
A discussion of any current discomfort and how it may connect to what's observed
The process is straightforward and doesn't require any special preparation beyond wearing comfortable clothing and, ideally, the shoes you wear most often day to day.
Signs a Gait Analysis Might Be Worth Booking
Unexplained knee, hip, or lower back discomfort without an obvious injury
Uneven wear patterns on the soles of your shoes
A history of ankle or foot issues
You're already considering custom orthotics and want the fitting to be as accurate as possible
What Happens After Your Gait Analysis
If custom orthotics are part of what makes sense for you, they'll be built using your actual stride and foot structure from the analysis — not an average or a generic mould. Your practitioner will walk you through what they found and what, if anything, makes sense as a next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a gait analysis?
It's an assessment of how you walk — your stride, foot strike, and movement pattern — used to identify imbalances that may be contributing to discomfort elsewhere in the body.
Do I need a gait analysis if I don't have foot pain?
Not necessarily just for foot pain — unexplained knee, hip, or lower back discomfort can sometimes trace back to how you walk, which is part of why a gait analysis looks at the whole picture.
Does a gait analysis hurt or take special preparation?
No — it's a straightforward, non-invasive assessment. Comfortable clothing and your usual daily shoes are all that's typically needed.
Is a gait analysis the same as getting custom orthotics?
They're related but different — a gait analysis is the assessment step, which may lead to custom orthotics being considered as part of your plan.
Call to Action
Wondering if your stride is contributing to your discomfort? Book a gait analysis at EnerHealth.
