Is a running gait analysis worth it?
A running gait analysis can offer real performance and injury prevention benefits, but is it necessary for ultrarunners? Here’s how to know if it’s worth your time (and what to watch out for).
A running gait analysis is a structured assessment of how you move when you run. It often involves sensor-based data collection or taking video footage of an athlete on a treadmill to evaluate running form, such as stride length, cadence, foot strike, posture, and symmetry.
The goal of a gait analysis is usually to prevent injury and improve running economy (the measure of how efficiently your body uses oxygen at a given pace). While injury prevention is valuable to every athlete, improving running economy becomes less critical to performance outcomes at distances of 50km and beyond, where variable terrain, elevation changes, technical footing, and long-duration fatigue present far greater challenges to athlete performance.
Here we examine when a gait analysis may be helpful to an ultrarunner, as well as scenarios where it may cause more harm than good.
When a gait analysis may be a good idea
1. You experience recurring or chronic injuries
If you keep getting the same injury or several different injuries, it may be helpful to examine your gait. A gait analysis can reveal compensations, imbalances, or inefficiencies that contribute to overuse injuries. That said, recurring running injuries can stem from a combination of factors, including but not limited to, overtraining, imbalanced strength or mobility, poor recovery habits, or inadequate nutrition. In these cases, a gait analysis should be part of a broader, more holistic assessment, otherwise, you risk addressing a symptom while missing the root cause.
2. You’re returning from injury
A gait analysis can ensure you're not unconsciously altering your movement to protect the injured or recovering area, which can lead to compensation injuries elsewhere.
3. You’re focusing on flat and fast races
For shorter, flat, non-technical, and fast races or at the elite or sub-elite level, tiny improvements in stride length, ground contact time, or vertical oscillation can translate into measurable gains. Gait analysis can help identify small adjustments that boost running economy or power that can improve performance on flat and fast courses where running economy matters more.
4. You’re a data nerd and you’re curious
Sometimes you just want to understand how your body moves or you’re really into the science and data of running. There’s nothing wrong with geeking out on data, but you may need to resist the urge to over-correct or fix what isn’t broken (see the next section!).
What to watch out for
1. Fixing something that ain’t broke
If you've been running well and injury-free, there may not be a lot of value in getting a gait analysis. The perfect gait doesn’t exist and “non-ideal” movements may never be problematic. Trying to switch your foot strike or other gait-related movements can cause more harm than good if there wasn’t a problem to begin with.
2. Changing too much at once
It’s possible you’ll walk away from a gait analysis with a handful of things to work on: cadence, stride, posture, etc. Trying to change multiple elements at the same time can be frustrating and can also risk creating new injuries if you’re not careful. It can also take away from the joy of running if you become over-obsessed with form. If making changes to your gait is recommended, choose one to work on at a time and structure it in a way that doesn’t take the joy out of running (e.g., use interval-based sessions to focus on the change, like increasing cadence for five minutes and then returning to your normal cadence for 10 minutes).
3. Poor quality analysis
Choose a qualified specialist, like a sports-based physiotherapist, to conduct your gait analysis, especially if you’re doing so because of recurring injuries. Seek out a practitioner who does more than take a video snapshot on a treadmill. While the treadmill can offer insight into gait deviations, it doesn’t take into account how your body moves over uneven terrain (like trails). Some practitioners may offer to analyze your gait on your primary running surface by requesting or taking video footage of you out on the trail. This may be helpful if you experience issues specific to certain terrain.
Helpful Resources
Do you need a running gait analysis? (TrainingPeaks) - A deeper dive into gait, how a gait analysis works, and how to apply what you learn.
Everything you wanted to know about running economy in ultrarunning (CTS Trainright) - A comprehensive overview of running economy and how it applies to ultrarunning.
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