WHAT IS GAIT ANALYSIS AND WHY EVERY RUNNER NEEDS ONE

Published: 23/06/2026 | By: Emma Kirk-Odunubi

Every runner has a story – and every stride tells one. Your running shoes shouldn’t be a guess; they should be built around the way you move. Enter: gait analysis. But is it for everyone? Our ambassador Emma Kirk-Odunubi breaks down why every runner should know their gait and how it can change the way you run.

I’ve spent over twenty years looking at the way people move. As a gait analyst and running coach, I’ve watched thousands of runners step onto treadmills. So, I can tell you this with complete confidence: there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all running shoe. Not even close.

The most common question I get is some version of, “Which shoe should I buy?” My answer is always the same (although it can be slightly frustrating): let’s look at how you move first. Because the right shoe for you starts with understanding your gait, not guessing in an aisle.

I like to use the analogy that you wouldn’t use your friend’s glasses to try and read because you have different eyes, just like you have different feet.

What Actually Is Gait Analysis?

Gait analysis is the systematic assessment of how you move. In a running context, it evaluates your biomechanics, foot strike, stride pattern, hip alignment, and how your foot loads from heel to toe, building a complete picture of how your body behaves under the demands of running.

In my book Find Your Pace, I describe the gait cycle as “your running signature – the repeating pattern your body creates with every single stride.” No two people run in exactly the same way, and gait analysis gives that signature a language.

Practically, it answers four key questions: how efficiently are you moving, where are you placing excess stress, are your movement patterns increasing your injury risk, and what footwear will actually support you?

All four matter because research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that more than half of adult runners across 87 countries sustained a running-related injury over an 18-month period. That number is sobering, and many of those injuries are preventable with the right information and, in many cases, the correct shoe.

How Has It Evolved?

When I started in this field, gait analysis was largely a visual art. An expert would watch you run and draw conclusions from what they could observe. Expert eyes still matter enormously, but the technology available today has transformed what’s possible.

Modern in-store analysis can include high-speed video capture that breaks down your stride frame by frame, pressure mapping that shows exactly how load travels through your foot, 3D foot scanning for precise measurements of arch height and width, and increasingly, AI-assisted software that can flag movement patterns even trained eyes might miss.

A 2024 systematic literature review confirmed that gait analysis sits at the heart of sports medicine, helping us understand running mechanics for both injury prevention and performance. The tools have evolved, and recommendations are becoming more precise and personalised as a result.

Understanding Pronation (It’s Not a Bad Word)

Pronation gets a terrible reputation, but it’s actually your foot doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. I describe it as the foot’s own suspension system: the natural inward roll of the foot that helps absorb impact as you land. The problem only arises when it becomes excessive or insufficient.

Neutral pronation means an even, functional roll with good pressure distribution. Over-pronation describes too much inward rolling, which can increase stress at the ankle, knee, and hip. Under-pronation (supination) means the foot rolls outward, limiting the foot’s natural shock-absorbing ability.

Each pattern can point towards different footwear support needs, although context always wins over category. Research suggests that 40 to 50% of over-pronators never experience overuse injuries, which tells us that pronation is one piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.

Arch type plays a role too. Low arches tend towards over-pronation, high arches towards under-pronation, and a normal arch towards neutral movement. These are tendencies, not rules.

The Cushioning Spectrum

Here’s something I speak about a lot when explaining running footwear, because I think it’s genuinely one of the most useful ways to think about shoe choice: running shoe cushioning exists on a spectrum.

At one end, you have shoes that feel like running on a pillow – deeply soft and highly cushioned, designed to absorb impact. At the other end, you have shoes that feel more like a trampoline: firmer, springier, and designed to return energy with every stride rather than simply soaking it up.

Neither end is better. What matters is where your body sits on that spectrum and why.

High-mileage runners or those with joint sensitivities might thrive in something softer. Biomechanically efficient runners chasing performance might benefit from a more responsive, energetic ride.

Gait analysis helps take the guesswork out of understanding where you may fit on that scale.

Your Big Toe Is a Factor!

This one doesn’t get nearly enough airtime. The big toe (the first metatarsophalangeal joint, if you want to impress people with a big word) plays a central role in how your foot propels you forwards.

As your weight moves towards the front of your foot before push-off, the big toe needs to extend upwards and create a stable lever to drive from. This is called hallux function, and it’s fundamental to efficient running.

When the big toe is restricted, whether through joint stiffness, a bunion, or a toe box that is simply too narrow, the foot has to find a workaround.

Conversely, if the toe joint is hypermobile and the stiffness required to create that driving lever cannot be found, the same issue can occur. That compensation can ripple upwards, affecting calf load, knee tracking, and hip drive.

One small joint can have significant consequences. It’s why toe box width is a biomechanical decision and not just a comfort preference, and why a good gait assessment looks at how your foot pushes off, not just how it lands.

What Gait Analysis Can’t Tell You

Honesty moment: gait analysis is simply a snapshot; it’s not your entire running story.

Your gait changes with fatigue, training load, strength improvements, and injury. Run a gait analysis when you’re fresh at 10am and then again at mile 20 of a marathon, and you would see two different runners.

Another important difference that is often not spoken about is the effect of pregnancy. A gait analysis completed before pregnancy and then again afterwards can reveal completely different movement patterns – and in all cases, that can be perfectly normal.

There’s also no such thing as a perfect gait. Truly. Even the best runners in the world, according to textbook ideals, have what could be described as “mechanical flaws”.

The goal isn’t to match a textbook version of perfect movement; it’s to understand your own movement and support it appropriately.

Footwear is part of the solution, and so are strength training, mobility, and sensible training load management. The shoe cannot – and sadly, for some, will not – do everything.

Finally…

Gait analysis helps you understand how your body moves. That understanding is the foundation for better footwear choices, smarter training, and a longer, healthier relationship with running.

It’s not just for injured runners, it’s not just for serious runners, and it’s absolutely not about being told your gait is wrong.

It’s about knowing your movement, so that every decision you make from here – including which shoe you pick up from the shelf – is an informed one.

Go and find out how you run. You might be surprised by what you learn!