The evolution of gait analysis: a treatment decision-making tool

The development of analytical techniques to define the abnormalities contributing to pathological gait patterns in human locomotion is complex. From the earliest attempts to draw static figures of the human form, physicians and scientists have devised unique paradigms to analyze various body segments in motion. The earliest studies were founded upon the discoveries of anatomy and physiology in the Renaissance. All subsequent advances have developed on that foundation. The discoveries of photography, electromyography, and the computer have led to today's advanced technology. Abnormalities of human locomotion can now be defined with accuracy in three dimensions and sufficient speed to be viable in a clinical setting. The objective documentation of gait through clinical gait analysis has not only gained for the physician a better understanding of the pathomechanics of gait abnormalities; it has become a valuable tool in treatment decision-making and evaluation. In treatment decision-making, gait analysis is used routinely to determine specific surgical procedures in patients of all ages with neuromuscular and other disorders. In treatment evaluation, gait analysis is becoming more relevant with the recent emphasis on outcome measures as a justification for insurance coverage.