Experiencing Knee Pain? Why We Recommend a Gait Analysis

Sometimes, knee pain comes straight from the source. For example, runner’s knee is a painful condition that comes from an issue in the kneecap.

Other times, the problem isn’t in the knee itself. Excess weight can strain your knee, as can irregularities in the way you walk.

At Rogers Foot & Ankle Institute, we can help you figure out what’s behind your knee pain. 

We offer gait analysis at our offices in American Fork and Saratoga Springs, Utah. With this evaluation, our team can determine if something about the way you’re moving contributes to your knee pain. 

How gait analysis works

Your gait is the way you walk. During gait analysis, we have you move and observe how you stride, how your foot hits the floor, and more. This lets us look for gait disturbances or abnormalities. 

Your body is all connected. A misalignment in one part of your body can lead to pain in another. 

Issues like arthritis and bone deformities can trigger knee pain even if the problem isn’t centered in the knee itself. Similarly, pain in your hip or foot might affect the way you walk, eventually straining your knee. 

Fortunately, the reverse is also true. Correcting gait problems can alleviate knee pain. A recent study showed that even a small adjustment in how you walk can help with knee pain from osteoarthritis. 

With gait analysis, we have a way to figure out if a mechanical problem in your body causes your knee pain. If it does, we help correct it. 

What to expect during gait analysis

Come to your gait analysis appointment in clothes you can move in and comfortable walking shoes. We have you get on a treadmill, then you’ll simply walk. 

As you move, our team takes notes and uses computer-assisted technology to capture data. We determine which part of your foot hits the ground first, measure the length of your stride, and evaluate how your joints are aligned as you move. 

Depending on what we see, we might deploy additional tools. Sometimes we take videos to further analyze. Other times, we put electrodes on your skin to measure muscular activity as you move.  

Gait analysis usually takes a couple of hours. At the end of your appointment, we go over the results with you. 

Then, we personalize a treatment plan. If we determine that a gait abnormality is causing your knee problem, we develop a process to address the gait deviation. That could mean retraining your gait, getting chiropractic care, or putting orthotics in your shoes. 

With a gait analysis, you’ll learn how your daily movement impacts your knee. To schedule yours, contact us by calling (801) 756-4200 today.