Running Gait Analysis
A running gait analysis looks at how you run to find the movement, strength and mobility patterns behind your pain or your slower times. At Elevate615 in Franklin, Payton Azbell, our running physical therapist, leads a metric-based running assessment that combines video gait analysis, strength testing and biomechanics, and ends with a plan built for you.
Who a running assessment is for
You do not need to be hurt. Most people come for one of these reasons.
- Runners with an ache that keeps coming back, such as IT band pain, shin splints or hip stress
- Runners coming back from an injury who need guidance on how to return to training safely
- First-time 5K runners and marathon chasers who want injury prevention before a problem starts
- Runners who want to improve running form and efficiency
What your running assessment includes
Gait analysis and video review
We look at your run and review the video with you to see how your stride works through each phase.
Mobility screening
We check your ankles, hips and spine, because a stiff joint changes how you land and push off.
Strength and stability testing
We test where you are strong and where you lose control, and we discuss your training plan and footwear.
Your personal run plan
You leave with a customized plan that covers strength, mobility, running technique and recovery strategies.
What you leave with
Run mechanics
A detailed review of your lower body mechanics, to improve stride efficiency and reduce overload through every phase of your run.
Injury prevention
Targeted treatment and corrective training for common runner problems, so you can run without a repeat of the same injury.
Performance progress
A plan that blends strength, mobility and technique to help you race harder and recover faster.
Running injuries we help with
Payton’s bio names Achilles pain, runner’s knee and shin splints; the others come up in our running articles.
Too much, too soon, and why strength belongs in a running plan
In Payton’s experience, the most common cause of running injuries is training errors, not running itself. Bring your running shoes: we look at your footwear, and running shoe recommendations are part of the conversation when your shoes are part of the problem.
Strength training is the other half. Payton’s article explains why strength training helps running economy and why it matters for bone strength. If you want someone to hold you to the work, personal training and small group fitness picks up where the assessment leaves off, and performance therapy is the wider program. If you are coming back to running after a baby, see prenatal and postpartum care. Ask the clinic about cost.
Running analysis care in Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville
Elevate615 treats running analysis at our Franklin clinic in Cool Springs, and we also see patients at our Brentwood and Nashville clinics.
You do not need a physician referral to start physical therapy at Elevate615: Tennessee allows direct access. If longer care later needs a physician involved, we coordinate with them.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.