The Role of Gait Analysis in Running Injury Recovery
Whether you're training for your next race or just trying to stay injury-free on the trails, how you run matters. Gait analysis is the process of evaluating your running form—looking at how your body moves through each step to identify patterns, inefficiencies, or compensations that could lead to injury.
READ: Preventative Physical Therapy: Stay Ahead of Injury and Pain
For runners, gait analysis offers more than just feedback on foot strike or cadence. It provides valuable insight into how your joints, muscles, and nervous system are working together (or not) to support your movement. When something’s off—like a hip dropping, an overstride, or poor trunk control—it may not hurt right away, but over time, it can lead to pain, tightness, or recurring injuries.
READ: The Complete Guide to Running Injury Recovery with Physical Therapy
At Full Curl PT in Helena, gait analysis is a key part of our running physical therapy approach. It gives us the information we need to create a treatment plan that’s tailored to you—not just your symptoms.
Common Running Injuries Linked to Gait Issues
Many running injuries don’t come from a single wrong move—they build up over time due to small inefficiencies in your form. When your gait mechanics are off, certain muscles and joints can become overloaded, while others stay underused. The result? A chain reaction that often leads to chronic pain or sidelining injuries.
Some of the most common running injuries tied to gait dysfunction include:
Shin splints: Often caused by overstriding or poor shock absorption mechanics
IT band syndrome: Linked to lateral hip instability and excessive trunk sway
Plantar fasciitis: Can result from improper foot strike patterns and tight calf muscles
Runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain): Frequently related to poor hip control and knee tracking
Achilles tendinopathy: Often influenced by stiff ankles or altered push-off mechanics
These injuries don’t just affect performance—they can disrupt your training schedule and cause long-term setbacks. Gait analysis helps uncover the underlying movement patterns contributing to these issues, so treatment goes beyond just symptom relief.
READ: The Role of Physical Therapy in Aging Gracefully and Staying Active
How Gait Analysis Identifies the Root Cause
One of the biggest advantages of gait analysis is its ability to uncover the why behind your injury—not just the what. Rather than focusing solely on the painful area, gait analysis allows your physical therapist to evaluate how the entire kinetic chain is functioning while you run.
READ: Preventative Physical Therapy: Stay Ahead of Injury and Pain
At Full Curl PT, gait analysis typically includes:
Video analysis of your running form from multiple angles
Assessment of cadence, stride length, and joint alignment
Observation of key movement patterns—like hip drop, foot strike, and trunk rotation
Functional testing to evaluate mobility, strength, and coordination
This comprehensive view helps identify compensations or inefficiencies that might not show up during a standard evaluation. For example, knee pain may be the result of a hip stability issue, or plantar fasciitis might trace back to limited ankle dorsiflexion.
Once we identify these patterns, we can target the true source of the problem—so you're not just recovering, you're rebuilding smarter.
