Maybe September’s cooler temperatures will be just the motivation you’ve been waiting for to get outside and start a walking or running routine. But if this is your first time sliding on a pair of athletic shoes to get some serious steps in, you might want to start with a gait analysis.
Available at most local running shops (sometimes for a reasonable fee, though some shops offer them as a complimentary service), a gait analysis helps you understand exactly how your foot hits the ground when you walk—and what kind of shoes you should be wearing.
Everyone has a unique gait. It’s affected by the shape of your feet—specifically, the arch of your foot—as well as a few other factors, some of which are within your control.
Understanding your gait, and correcting it where possible, will help you avoid injury, gain speed, and prevent long-term muscular or skeletal problems. While an imbalanced or imperfect gait isn’t a huge problem for the regular walking you do for your day-to-day activities, doing it at the intensity of a run or a powerwalk sets you up for trouble.
A gait analysis is usually done on a treadmill. You’ll run for a minute or two while your feet are videorecorded. Then the person doing the analysis—ideally, a certified expert like a physical therapist or exercise physiologist—takes a close look at a slow-motion replay of the video. They will then observe exactly how your foot is hitting the ground and how you’re distributing your weight with each step.
If you want a less reliable home method to understanding your gait, take a look at your wet footprint on a level surface. The shape of your footprint will reveal how high your arches are—if the middle part of your foot between your ball and heel is thin, you have high arches; if the middle part is wide, you have low arches.
Another option—for dedicated runners or walkers who have never had a gait analysis done—is to look at an old pair of shoes and examine where they are being worn down. Do you see most of the wear appearing on the outer edge? That’s from supination. Is it along the inner edge? That’s from overpronation.
By understanding your gait and listening to the advice of an expert, you can find shoes that are best suited for your needs, keeping you free from injury and poised to go faster and farther.
The analysis of your step will fall into one of three categories:
Overpronation: The most common type of step, in which your foot rolls inward excessively when you land on it. This puts your weight on the inner edge of your foot instead of keeping it fixed on the ball of your foot. People who overpronate typically do so because they have low foot arches (they’re sometimes referred to as flat footed).
Neutral: This is the ideal gait, in which you land your step on the outer edge of your foot and roll your step inward in a controlled manner. This allows all of your weight to be distributed evenly across your foot and the shock of the impact to be minimized. People with a neutral gait tend to have medium foot arches.
Supination: This type of gait is sometimes called underpronation. When your foot strikes the ground, you’re striking with the outer edge of your feet and there’s very little rolling of your foot inward. Runners who supinate tend to have high arches in their feet.
