Why Gait Analysis Matters for Pelvic Floor Health
Gait analysis is one of my favorite assessment tools because it reveals so much about how your body functions. By analyzing the way you walk, we can identify compensation patterns and determine which areas need further evaluation, whether that be the hips, feet, core, or pelvic floor.
For example, if you walk with your foot turned outward during the swing phase of gait, we can investigate why that is happening. Is hip mobility restricted? Is there weakness in the hip muscles? Is the foot unable to properly pronate? Identifying the root cause allows us to create a treatment plan that improves your mechanics rather than simply treating symptoms.
Because we spend so much of our lives walking, even small improvements in gait can have a significant impact on both orthopedic pain and pelvic floor function. Improving how your body moves during everyday activities often creates greater long-term results than performing a few isolated exercises.
How Does Gait Affect the Pelvic Floor?
Your walking pattern directly influences pelvic floor function. The pelvic floor plays an important role in balance, stability, and the absorption of forces traveling through the body. Every time your foot contacts the ground, forces travel upward through the legs and spine. The pelvic floor helps manage and disperse these forces.
If your feet strike the ground heavily, the pelvic floor must work harder to help protect the spine and maintain stability. Over time, inefficient movement patterns can place additional stress on the pelvic floor.
As discussed in a previous post, pronation is not a bad thing. In fact, normal pronation helps absorb shock and decrease the forces traveling up the leg. If you lack adequate pronation or consistently walk with your toes turned outward, the resulting external rotation pattern may contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction.
This is where gait analysis becomes valuable. Once we identify a movement pattern, we can determine where the problem originates. Is limited hip mobility preventing proper foot mechanics? Is hip weakness contributing to the compensation? Or does the foot itself require further assessment?
These are just a few examples of the many compensation patterns we evaluate.
What Do We Look For During a Gait Analysis?
During a gait assessment, we evaluate:
Stride length
Heel strike pattern
Push-off mechanics
Hip drop
Amount of pronation at the foot
Hip alignment
Thoracic rotation
How forcefully the foot contacts the ground
Any scuffing or dragging of the foot
Arm swing and overall movement coordination
Abnormal gait mechanics can sometimes contribute to symptoms such as urinary leakage, fecal leakage, urgency, or difficulty controlling the bladder and bowel during activities like walking or running.
If you struggle with bladder or bowel control while moving, it may be worth asking whether your walking mechanics are part of the problem.
Gait analysis helps us uncover the "why" behind your symptoms and guides us toward the most effective treatment approach.
If you have questions about gait analysis or would like to schedule an evaluation, contact Poppy Physical Therapy today.