Gait Analysis Clinic

The Gait Analysis Service is based in the Clinical Gait Analysis and Research Facility in the Allerton Building and uses state of the art biomechanical equipment to gather detailed data on movement patterns in many movement disorders. The laboratory accepts referrals from the NHS and private health care organisations.

The gait analysis service also supports the care of children with cerebral palsy by enabling assessment of their gait to input to their care pathways. In addition, we offer gait and human movement assessment related to amputees, neuromuscular disorders (such as stroke) and a range of orthopaedics disorders.

The Team

• Professor Richard Baker – Professor of Clinical Gait Analysis
• Dr Richard Jones – Gait laboratory and Service Manager
• Dr Anne Uutela - Physiotherapist
• Mrs Linda Hollingworth – Physiotherapist

Assessment

The gait analysis takes anywhere between 1.5 - 3 hours and involves three stages: Clinical Assessment, Movement Assessment, and the Analysis and Reporting.

On arrival at the gait laboratory, we will explain what is going to happen during the gait analysis and ask you to get changed. You will be asked to wear close fitting shorts and a t-shirt so that we can attach special reflective markers to your legs.

Clinical Assessment

Firstly, the physiotherapist will measure strength and muscle movements while you lie on a bed. This will take about 30 minutes and may involve more tests that you have had done in previous consultations with doctors and physiotherapists.

Movement Assessment

The next stage is to record you moving in the lab. We will put small reflective markers (small balls) onto your legs and these are held on with sticky tape and adjustable straps. You will be asked to stand for this but can lean on a frame if you have difficulty standing for any length of time. We may also want to measure what your muscles are doing whilst you are walking so we will attach small electrodes to your legs. These are the same as those used when monitoring heart rate.

Next we will ask you to walk up and down while the cameras take pictures of you. We will probably ask you to walk up and down ten or more times but you can rest if you get tired. We will then take some video recordings which will allow us to see you walking after you have left the laboratory and helps with analysis and reporting. You will probably walk barefoot first and then with your shoes and any splints or other walking aids you use.

The information from the cameras allows us to create an animation of a skeleton walking in exactly the same way as you. We use this skeleton to better understand how you are walking. You will able to see the animation and we will explain a little more about how it works.

Analysis and Reporting

There is a lot of information collected in the gait analysis session and it takes several weeks for us to prepare a report and discuss it as a team, and then discuss it with the person who has referred you. When the final report has been completed you will be sent a review appointment where the results of the gait analysis will be discussed with you.

For further information, please contact the Gait Laboratory Manager:

Dr Richard Jones
Salford Gait Analysis Service
Allerton Building
University of Salford
M6 6PU
Tel: 0161 295 7038
fax: 0161 295 2432