Gait Analysis IN CHORLEY WITH MUSCLE MENDER
If you're a runner or lead an active lifestyle, understanding how you move can be key to avoiding injury and improving performance. At Muscle Mender in Chorley, I offer professional gait analysis designed to help you run of efficiently, reduce pain and stay active for longer. Whether you're training for your next race, returning from an injury, or simply want to take care of your body, this can help!
SOME OF THE CONDITIONS I CAN HELP YOU WITH:
BACK PAIN & SCIATICA
SHOULDER & NECK PAIN
LEG, HIP & KNEE PAIN
MUSCLE & JOINT PAIN
Gait analysis is the assessment of how you walk or run. It focuses on your foot strike, posture, and movement patterns to identify any imbalances or irregularities. These small faults in your gait could be contributing to recurring injuries or holding you back from reaching your performance potential.
At Muscle Mender, I use my expertise in injury assessment to provide a detailed evaluation of your gait and movement. You'll receive clear, practical guidance on how to improve your stride, reduce discomfort, and run more naturally.
WHAT IS GAIT ANALYSIS AT MUSCLE MENDER IN CHORLEY?
There's three main groups of people who need gait analysis like that offered here at Muscle Mender in Chorley.
Runners
Gait analysis can help runners who are focusing on their performance. Even minor issues in gait and movement can lead to serious injuries over time, like shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and knee or hip pain. By identifying your unique gait pattern, I can help runners improve their running technique, choose the right footwear, and improve their efficiency when running - which might lead to faster running!
​
Active People
You don't have to be a runner to benefit from gait analysis. Balance - especially as people get older - is an important element to keeping healthy and injury free. By understanding their gait, active people can remain active and injury free for longer. For instance, people who supinator when they walk are more at risk of stress fractures, and combined with aging bones, this can be an injury waiting to happen! Identifying risks like this with gait analysis means that active people can take steps - like buying the right shoes - to lessen the risk of injuries
Everyone else
It might sound like a cliche, but everyone can benefit from gait analysis because everyone wants to move without pain! For instance, poor gait can be the cause of issues like hip and knee pain. This is because when we don't move properly, our hips and knees try to "compensate", resulting in our bodies moving in an unnatural way, which can lead to injury. But by identifying what is going on with professional gait analysis, and using that knowledge to choose the correct footwear, problems can be identified and corrected early.
WHO NEEDS gAIT ANALYSIS?
Poor gait mechanics, combined with inappropriate footwear, can create the perfect conditions for painful or long lasting injuries.
Some of the most common problems I help treat with gait analysis include:
Overuse Injuries
-
Shin splints: often causes by over pronation or shoes that lack the proper support.
-
Plantar fasciitis: heel pain from poor arch support or incorrect foot strike patterns
-
Achilles tendonitis: inflammation from tight calves or shoes with the wrong heel drop for you
-
IT band pain: often results from knee pain due to poor hip alignment or worn-out shoes
​
Foot and Ankle Pain
-
Stress fractures: common in supinators wearing shoes without adequate cushioning
-
Ankle sprains: more likely with poor proprioception or unstable footwear
-
Bunions and toe issues: can worsen with shoes that don't match your foot shape
​
Hip and Knee Pain
-
Runner's knee: this particular type of knee pain can be linked to over pronation and lack of proper motion control
-
Hip flexor strain: can result from compensation patterns due to poor gait mechanics
​
The good news its that many of these injuries are preventable with proper gait analysis and appropriate footwear selection.
Common Injuries From Gait Problems and Wrong footwear
How your foot rolls when you walk or run is called "pronation". There's three main types of pronation, and understanding what type of pronation you have is one of the benefits of professional gait analysis.
If your foot rolls slightly inwards, this is called neutral pronation. Neutral pronation allows your foot to absorb the shock of striking the ground effectively, and people with this type of pronation tend to have balanced, efficient gait mechanics.
​
If your foot rolls too far inwards, this is called over pronation. In over pronation, the arch of the foot is flattened which places extra stress on the knees and hips. This is commonly seen in runners with flat feet or collapsing arches.
​
If your foot doesn't roll in enough, this is called supination, or under pronation. Supination puts stress on the outside of the foot, and can lead to ankle instability or stress fractures if not corrected, especially in runners with high arches.
​
Although some people can identify their pronation at home, professional gait analysis means you can be confident of your pronation pattern, and take steps to correct it as necessary, lessening the risk of injury or pain.
Understanding pronation and gait analysis
In a professional gait analysis session here in Chorley's Muscle Mender, I'll help you identify your foot arch type.
The arch of the foot is tremendously important, as it plays a huge role in how your body absorbs impact as you run or walk. There's three types of foot arches:
​
A normal arch offers good shock absorption and suits a neutral running style.
​
A flat arch (sometimes called the low arch) is more likely to lead to over pronation. People with flat arches generally need footwear that offers extra support.
​
A high arch is often linked to supination, and may require footwear that has extra cushion ing to help reduce the impact of running or walking.
Gait analysis and foot arch issues
While many people try to work out their gait at home using YouTube or TikTok videos as a guide, the professional, detailed gait analysis I offer allows you to be confident in your footwear and training requirements.
Whether you're looking to prevent injuries by making sure you're wearing the right footwear, recovering from injuries caused by poor gait or body mechanics, or looking to improve your sporting performance, Muscle Mender's professional gait analysis is tailored to your individual needs.
By booking your gait analysis today, you can be sure you'll be performing at your best.
Click here to book your gait analysis today!
Book Your gait analysis at Chorley's muscle mender today
WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY: REAL REVIEWS FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU!
IAN SAYS
Another excellent sports massage from Arran! I’ve never had a treatment before where I’ve had such quick results. It’s great to get mobility and flexibility back in my body! Very professional and friendly service, always made to feel comfortable and I’ve booked in for my 3rd treatment. 5*
RICHARD SAYS
I contacted Arran after 6 months of physio had done nothing for a number of issues I was experiencing, including sciatica. Arran took time to listen to my history and asked questions to identify what might be causing my sciatica. He identified some issues with my piriformis and tightness through the hamstrings and quads. After the session I slept the night through for the first time in weeks and haven't had any sciatic pain since. He has also taken the time go check on me daily following the treatments. I'll definitely be booking again. Top class service. Thank you!
TOM SAYS
I booked in for an urgent appointment and got seen that same day. I was struggling to walk because of the pain in my lower back and whilst I expected the issue to be in my back, I was shocked to spend most of the time working on my upper legs but afterwards I can move normally again, my flexibility is back and my pain has gone, worked like absolute magic and I've booked back in because it's the best result I've seen from a sports massage. Great work and clearly understands how the muscle groups work together.