Advanced Gait Analysis for Dynamic Foot Assessment

Gait analysis biomechanics attempts to assess the mechanical functions of walking or running with respect to principles of physics, measuring lower limb movements including forces, energy transfer, and moment quantification. Analysts using inverse dynamics determine torques and powers at the joints during gait phases, for example, the propulsive force from the calf muscle at toe-off. This information assists in identifying other biomechanical inefficiencies such as excessive knee energy absorption because of poor foot alignment. In clinical settings, biomechanical gait analysis helps in the diagnosis of knee complaints, like patellofemoral pain syndrome, where abnormal forces acting on the knee are found to relate to the foot position. For an athlete, the analysis aids in improving running economy by fine-tuning the mechanism of foot strike. The combination of high-speed video and markerless motion capture systems has transformed biomechanical gait analysis from an intrusive post-hoc analysis to unobtrusive real-time 3D tracking of limb movements.