4 - Methods of Gait Analysis

Abstract

This chapter discusses the methods of gait analysis. Observing the gait and noting the abnormalities is of little value. This needs to be followed by gait assessment, which is the synthesis of these observations with other information about the subject, obtained from the history and physical examination, combined with the intelligence and experience of the observer. Visual gait analysis is subjective, and the quality of the analysis depends on the skill of the person performing it. It can be an interesting exercise to perform visual gait analysis on people walking past in the street, but without knowing the clinical details, it is easy to misinterpret an abnormality completely. One thing that must be borne in mind, when performing any type of gait analysis is that one is observing the effects and not the causes. The observed gait pattern is not the direct result of a pathological process, but the net result of a pathological process and the subject's attempts to compensate for it. The observed gait pattern is what is left after the available mechanisms for compensation have been exhausted.