Bio-Mechanical Assessment & Gait Analysis
Understanding your foot's complex foundation
The human foot is a remarkable piece of engineering, containing 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments working in perfect harmony. This intricate arrangement creates a strong, stable foundation that must adapt to countless surfaces, speeds, and athletic demands throughout your lifetime.
The foot's biomechanical system relies on the precise coordination between intrinsic muscles within the foot itself and extrinsic muscles located in the lower leg. These muscles work alongside powerful ligaments to maintain structural integrity during every step, jump, and sprint. When this delicate balance is disrupted, problems such as fallen arches, plantar fasciitis, or chronic instability can develop, significantly impacting your performance and quality of life.
Finding your unique bio-mechanical profile
Every individual falls somewhere along the mobility spectrum, ranging from hypomobility (stiff and inflexible) to hypermobility (excessively flexible). Understanding where you fit on this continuum is crucial for developing an effective treatment strategy.
Those with hypermobile feet often experience different challenges compared to those with rigid foot structures. Hypermobile individuals may struggle with stability and are prone to overuse injuries, while hypomobile feet typically face issues with shock absorption and adaptability to uneven surfaces. Extremes at either end of this spectrum tend to develop distinct types of problems, which is why personalized assessment is essential rather than applying generic solutions.
Why you need a biomechanical assessment
A comprehensive biomechanical assessment becomes necessary when pain, performance limitations, or recurrent injuries begin affecting your daily activities or athletic pursuits. Many people seek evaluation when experiencing persistent heel pain, recurring ankle sprains, knee discomfort, or unexplained lower leg fatigue that doesn't resolve with rest.
Athletes particularly benefit from biomechanical analysis when they notice performance plateaus, increased injury frequency, or when transitioning between sports or training intensities. Even subtle gait abnormalities can compound over time, considering that runners typically take 1,600 to 2,000 steps per mile. These small inefficiencies, multiplied across hundreds of thousands of steps, can create significant cumulative stress on your body.
Early intervention through proper biomechanical assessment can prevent minor issues from developing into chronic conditions requiring extensive rehabilitation or potentially ending athletic careers.
Inside your comprehensive biomechanical assessment
Your assessment begins with a detailed consultation where we establish a comprehensive history of your symptoms, activity levels, previous injuries, and performance goals. We discuss your typical training routines, competition schedules, and any concerns about current limitations or pain patterns.
The physical examination includes careful evaluation of your foot structure, joint range of motion, muscle strength, and flexibility. We assess how your feet function both in static positions and during dynamic movements. This hands-on evaluation helps us understand your unique structural characteristics and identify areas of weakness or restriction.
The technological component involves computerised video gait analysis, where we record your walking and running patterns from multiple angles. This advanced system allows us to slow down your movement to frame-by-frame analysis, revealing subtle abnormalities that occur too quickly for real-time observation. We can measure precise angles, timing sequences, and force distribution patterns that would be impossible to detect otherwise.
Addressing the barefoot and forefoot running debate
Questions about optimal running technique, barefoot running, and forefoot versus heel striking cannot be answered with simple, universal recommendations. These decisions depend entirely on your individual biomechanics, injury history, training goals, and structural characteristics.
During your assessment, we address these topics specifically as they relate to your unique situation. What works optimally for one runner may be completely inappropriate for another, which is why personalised analysis is essential rather than following popular trends or one-size-fits-all advice.
The power of video analysis in sports performance
Our computerised video gait analysis technology revolutionises how we understand your movement patterns. By capturing your gait at high frame rates and slowing the playback significantly, we can identify minute changes that occur in milliseconds but have profound cumulative effects over time.
This technology is particularly valuable for athletes whose sports involve repetitive movements. A slight inefficiency in foot strike pattern, subtle ankle instability, or minor timing irregularities become magnified over thousands of repetitions during training and competition.
Trusted by elite athletes
Our specialised approach has earned recognition from elite athletes, including New Zealand netball champion Laura Langman, who states: "Waikato podiatry has been a long time important member of my medical team. I recommend them to my team mates and to you."
This endorsement reflects our commitment to providing world-class biomechanical assessment and treatment that meets the demanding standards of professional athletics while remaining accessible to recreational athletes and active individuals.
Take the next step toward optimal performance
If you're experiencing pain, performance limitations, or simply want to optimise your movement efficiency, a comprehensive biomechanical assessment provides the foundation for achieving your goals. Our personalised approach ensures that recommendations are tailored specifically to your unique needs, activity demands, and performance objectives.
Contact Waikato Podiatry today at 07 838 0003 to arrange your personalised biomechanical assessment and discover how proper evaluation can transform your movement, eliminate pain, and unlock your performance potential.
