They overlap, and at OnePointHealth they are booked as the same appointment. A biomechanical assessment measures your body at rest: joint range, strength, alignment and foot structure. Gait analysis adds the moving picture, showing how those measurements behave under load when you walk or run. One without the other gives half the story, so your podiatrist or physiotherapist does both in the same visit.

Allow around 45 to 60 minutes for a first gait analysis appointment. [CONFIRM: standard appointment duration and any extended booking option]. That time covers your history, physical testing, walking and running capture, and a review of your footage with your podiatrist or physiotherapist. Follow-up reviews are usually shorter, because the baseline measurements already exist and only the changes need retesting.

Bring shorts or loose clothing that lets your knees be seen, plus the shoes you actually train, work or walk in. Worn shoes are useful evidence, so bring old pairs as well as new ones. If you use orthotics, bring those too, including devices made elsewhere. If you have recent scans or a GP referral, bring them along.

No. Orthotics are one option among several, and many people leave with a strength program, a footwear change or a training adjustment instead. Your podiatrist recommends a device when your assessment shows foot position or pressure distribution is a significant part of the problem. Where orthotics are recommended, they usually sit alongside exercise rather than replacing it.

Yes. People book without pain for several reasons: returning to running after a break, preparing for an event, choosing new shoes, or checking a child’s walking pattern. A baseline is also useful if you have a history of injuries on one side. Your practitioner will tell you honestly if nothing needs changing.

Both. Treadmill running allows a steady, repeatable pattern that can be filmed from behind and side on, then slowed down frame by frame. Floor walking is also assessed, because treadmill and overground movement differ slightly. [CONFIRM: pressure plate, force plate or 3D motion capture technology available by clinic]. You see your own footage during the appointment, not just a written summary.