Gait Test

So when I was last in to see the doctor about my hamstring, he offered to have one of his physical therapists do a gait analysis to see what my run form was like and how I might want to change it to prevent injury. So before Christmas I called and made an appointment for today.

I saw Robin the physical therapist. We first went over my history, then she did a basic exam looking at flexibility, range of motion, how I stand and how I walk. Then we went upstairs to hop on a treadmill. First we did some dynamic stretching exercises to help loosen up. She taught me some new things there. Then it was time for the treadmill.

I got on and walked for a little bit to further loosen up, then I sped up the treadmill to a running pace. Robin looked at me from all angles and then we stopped the belt. She told me that my stride was too long. She wanted me to have a much shorter stride and to lean forward when I run. The shorter stride will definitely help prevent the hamstring stretching.

So back on the belt I went to practice that shorter stride. OMG that felt soooo weird. I felt like I was taking baby steps. She left me with some paperwork, and some running routines if I wanted to follow them.

So I will be giving this a try over the next few run/walks I do.