Gait Analysis:

Discover your unique movement blueprint, address inefficiencies and recurring injuries, receive personalized recommendations, and improve performance with the region’s only 3-D computerized gait analysis at the CHAMP Center!

Gait Analysis: What It Is

The CHAMP Center’s Gait Analysis, offered through the Connecticut Running Injury Clinic, is the region’s only 3-D computerized assessment designed to improve performance and prevent injury. The analysis focuses on lower-extremity mechanics, including joint motion, timing, symmetry, and load distribution, and can be customized for running, walking, hiking, load-bearing activities, or movement with occupational equipment.

The session begins with a readiness assessment led by a physical therapist, evaluating strength and mobility at the hip, knee, and ankle/foot. Reflective markers are then placed on key joints to track motion as the participant moves on an instrumented treadmill. Using 3-D motion capture, high-speed cameras, pressure-sensing technology (MYOPressure), and the RunDNA platform, the system measures motion and loading patterns. Data is interpreted by our expert team to provide personalized recommendations. Testing typically lasts 1.5–2 hours, leaving participants with actionable insights to enhance efficiency, reduce injury risk, and improve performance. Further preparation details can be found on the CHAMP Center Prepare Page.

As the region’s only provider of this 3-D technology, the CHAMP Center upholds its commitment to making top-tier testing equipment accessible to the general public, ensuring precise, individualized results every time.

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Gait Analysis: Why It's Important

Running, walking, or movement while under load places repetitive stress on the body, and small inefficiencies can accumulate over time, contributing to aches, injuries, or reduced movement efficiency. A gait analysis provides a detailed, objective evaluation of movement mechanics, helping individuals understand and address inefficiencies.

Understanding gait allows participants to:
• Identify movement inefficiencies and asymmetries
• Detect abnormal joint loading and timing patterns
• Recognize compensations that may increase injury risk
• Improve movement efficiency, durability, and confidence
• Optimize technique for safety, performance, and long-term function
• Receive guidance on footwear, equipment, or technique adjustments

By combining 3-D motion capture, pressure analysis, and expert interpretation, gait analysis provides individualized, data-driven recommendations that support performance, injury prevention, and long-term movement health.

At the CHAMP Center, we customize the Gait Analysis testing protocol to each individual’s needs.

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Gait Analysis: Who Should Do It

Gait analysis evaluates movement efficiency, asymmetries, and joint loading to prevent injury and improve performance. This test benefits anyone who moves on foot and wants to optimize movement, including:

Beginner Runners, Walkers, or Hikers: Establish efficient movement patterns early, optimize technique, and reduce injury risk when starting a running or walking program.
Competitive Runners, Walkers, or Hikers: Refine gait mechanics to improve efficiency, endurance, and performance while minimizing cumulative stress over long distances.
Recreational or Endurance Athletes: Assess stride mechanics, loading patterns, and efficiency to support performance, reduce overuse injury risk, and improve durability across training cycles.
Post-Injury or Return-to-Run: Identify compensations and asymmetries following injury or surgery and guide a safe, progressive return to walking or running.
Recurrent or Movement-Related Injuries: Detect faulty movement patterns or loading strategies that may contribute to chronic pain, stress injuries, or repeated breakdown.
Movement-Related Conditions: Address gait challenges associated with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, or similar movement limitations.
Longevity or Function-Focused Individuals: Support joint health, balance, and efficient movement to maintain independence, mobility, and confidence in daily activities.
Physically Demanding Occupations: Evaluate how load, footwear, equipment, or job demands affect gait mechanics to support performance, safety, and injury prevention in roles such as military, law enforcement, firefighting, or manual labor.
Footwear or Equipment Decision-Making: Provide objective insight into shoe selection, orthotics, or gear choices to optimize support, comfort, and movement efficiency.

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Gait Analysis: Interpreting Results

Your gait analysis results provide a comprehensive view of how your body moves during walking or running, revealing patterns related to efficiency, symmetry, joint loading, and overall movement quality. Powered by the RunDNA platform, this assessment captures how forces are absorbed, transferred, and reused throughout the entire body, from foot contact to upper-body control.

Gait analysis evaluates movement as a system, not just strength, flexibility, or power in isolation. By combining pressure data, timing metrics, and 3D motion capture with expert clinical interpretation, it provides insights that cannot be captured through traditional testing alone.

Instead of presenting isolated data points, gait analysis metrics are organized into movement domains that reflect how the body experiences locomotion.

Key Domains Include:

Ground Contact & Foot Loading
Running Efficiency
Stride Length & Symmetry
Joint Motion & Control (Ankle, Knee, Hip)
Pelvic & Trunk Stability
Posture & Coordination
Force Absorption & Elasticity

View the tabs to explore each domain and its associated metrics.

Running Efficiency:

How smoothly you move through each stride

Running efficiency is about timing as well as speed. This domain evaluates how long you spend time on the ground versus in the air, how rhythmic each step is, and how consistent timing is maintained between sides. Well-coordinated timing supports efficient force application and reduces unnecessary energy loss.

How this is measured & presented:

Percentage breakdowns of stance and swing phases
Ground contact and flight time comparisons
Step timing and cadence summaries
Side-by-side visualizations comparing left and right rhythm

Ground Contact & Foot Loading:

How force enters your body

This domain examines how your foot contacts the ground and how pressure travels across it during each step. Because the foot is the first point of contact, these patterns strongly influence how forces are absorbed and transferred through the ankle, knee, hip, and spine.

How this is measured & presented:

Visual pressure maps showing how load is distributed across the foot, including lateral vs. medial loading, which can highlight risk for stress injuries
Center of pressure pathways illustrating how force progresses from initial contact to toe-off
Left–right comparisons highlighting loading symmetry and balance
Ground reaction force curves reflecting how force is applied over time

Stride Length & Symmetry:

How evenly your body distributes force

This domain focuses on left–right differences in stride mechanics. Some asymmetry is normal, but persistent or excessive differences may indicate compensation patterns that increase stress on one side. The goal is functional balance, not perfect symmetry.

How this is measured & presented:

Step length and step width comparisons
Left–right differences in timing and force contribution
Symmetry indices highlighting consistency between sides
Visual overlays comparing stride characteristics

Joint Motion & Control:

How motion is distributed across the lower body

Rather than isolating joints, this domain examines how the ankle, knee, and hip work together to absorb and produce force throughout the gait cycle. Movement is assessed across multiple planes to identify restrictions, excessive motion, or coordination strategies.

How this is measured & presented:

Joint angle graphs across the gait cycle
Range-of-motion profiles for the ankle, knee, and hip
Comparisons of movement patterns between sides
Temporal plots showing when motion occurs during stride

Pelvic & Trunk Stability:

The control center of gait

The pelvis plays a central role in transferring force between the lower body and upper body. This domain evaluates how well the pelvis stabilizes and adapts throughout each stride. Both excessive and insufficient pelvic motion can influence efficiency, energy cost, and tissue stress.

How this is measured & presented:

Pelvic tilt, rotation, and obliquity curves
Symmetry comparisons between left and right pelvic motion
Vertical displacement metrics reflecting center-of-mass control
Visual traces illustrating pelvic movement patterns

Posture & Coordination:

How posture supports movement efficiency

Gait involves the full body. This domain examines trunk position and side-to-side motion, which influence balance, breathing efficiency, and overall rhythm. Upper-body motion is always interpreted in context with lower-body mechanics.

How this is measured & presented:

Trunk angle and lateral motion graphs
Range-of-motion summaries for upper body movement
Symmetry comparisons between sides
Coordination overlays with lower-body timing

How to Use Your Results:

Your gait analysis is not intended to overhaul your natural movement pattern. Instead, it identifies high-impact opportunities for improving efficiency, durability, and performance.

Common applications include:

Implementing technique cues or gait retraining strategies
Prioritizing strength, mobility, and stability exercises
Adjusting training volume or intensity
Optimizing footwear or equipment selection
Supporting return-to-run or return-to-sport decisions
Tracking movement changes over time
Pair with other assessments (Biodex, VO₂ max, Vertical Jump, or DEXA/BodPod), for a powerful, system-level view of performance and longevity.

Gait Analysis: Personalized Interpretation

While the RunDNA platform delivers robust, data-rich reports, the true value lies in expert interpretation.

Each gait analysis is reviewed by Dr. Marc Robertson, DPT, and Dr. Robert Gregory, PhD, Certified Running Gait Analyst, who contextualize your results based on:

Individual Anatomy & Biomechanics
Training History & Test History
Injury Background
Performance Goals
Sport, Physical Activity, or Occupational Demands

Not every deviation from reference values is problematic. Human movement varies widely, and many individuals perform well outside of textbook norms. Our Gait Analysis Team distinguishes natural movement variability from patterns that may limit efficiency, increase tissue stress, or elevate injury risk.

Sample Reports

Each individual receives secure access to the RunDNA platform, along with two detailed gait analysis reports that visually break down these metrics and illustrate how movement changes throughout the gait cycle.

These reports serve as the foundation of your analysis and are paired with expert interpretation to ensure clarity and relevance.

Click below to view sample reports:

Force Absorption & Elasticity:

How well you absorb and reuse energy

Gait is a continuous cycle of force absorption and elastic return. This domain evaluates how stiff or compliant your system is during ground contact and how forces are managed over time. Appropriate stiffness depends on speed, training status, and performance demands or goals.

How this is measured & presented:

Vertical and leg stiffness summaries
Peak force and loading rate curves
Force-time profiles across stance
Comparative views showing how force changes with speed