What Are Gait Abnormalities?

Gait abnormalities refer to changes in how a person walks, runs, transfers weight, absorbs impact, and coordinates movement through the body. Walking may seem simple, but it requires coordination between the feet, ankles, knees, hips, pelvis, spine, ribs, shoulders, head, and neck.

During every step, force travels from the ground up through the body. The foot contacts the ground, the ankle adapts, the knee absorbs load, the hip stabilizes, the pelvis transfers force, and the spine coordinates movement above. When this chain is functioning well, load is distributed more efficiently. When one area is restricted, weak, unstable, or compensating, the entire gait pattern may change.

Improper gait mechanics can affect how joints such as the ankle, knee, and hip endure load during impact from walking, running, jumping, or sport. If the angle of force travelling up the chain is altered, the cartilage, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and joint surfaces may have to work harder to absorb stress. Over time, this may contribute to pain, stiffness, overuse injuries, or recurring strain.

Gait abnormalities may begin after an injury, surgery, ankle sprain, knee pain, hip restriction, foot mechanics issue, lower back pain, or neurological condition. In some cases, compensation patterns may travel upward through the pelvis, spine, ribs, shoulders, and even into the neck.

Individuals May Experience

• Uneven walking pattern

• Limping or favoring one side

• One foot turning in or out more than the other

• Hip, knee, ankle, or foot discomfort

• Lower back tension during walking or standing

• Pelvic tightness or imbalance

• Fatigue with prolonged standing or walking

• Reduced balance or coordination

• Recurring ankle sprains or lower limb injuries

• Knee pain during stairs, walking, or running

• Hip tightness after walking or exercise

• Pain that appears on one side of the body more often

• Uneven shoe wear

• Difficulty running efficiently

• Discomfort during sports involving cutting, jumping, or changing direction

• Neck, shoulder, or upper back tension linked to altered posture or compensation

What Contributes to Gait Abnormalities?

Several factors may influence walking or running mechanics, including:

• Previous injuries

• Ankle sprains or foot injuries

• Joint restrictions in the hips, knees, ankles, or feet

• Pelvic imbalance or reduced pelvic mobility

• Muscle weakness or imbalance

• Reduced hip, glute, calf, or core strength

• Foot mechanics, including flat feet or high arches

• Limited ankle mobility

• Compensation from pain

• Previous surgery or incomplete rehabilitation

• Balance or coordination deficits

• Poor running mechanics

• Repetitive sport or work demands

• Leg length differences or perceived asymmetry

• Lower back, sacroiliac, or hip restrictions

These factors may affect how the body distributes load during movement. For example, limited ankle mobility may change how the knee tracks during walking or running. Poor hip control may increase strain through the knee. Pelvic restriction may alter stride length. Lower back stiffness may change how the body rotates during gait.

When one joint does not absorb or transfer force efficiently, another area often compensates. These compensations can move up the chain from the foot and ankle to the knee, hip, pelvis, lower back, upper back, shoulders, and neck. This is why a gait issue may not always cause pain where the original problem began.

How Manual Therapy May Help

Manual therapy and rehabilitation may help identify the mechanical factors contributing to an altered gait pattern. Care may focus on improving joint mobility, reducing compensatory tension, restoring strength, and helping the body absorb and transfer load more efficiently during walking, running, or sport.

The goal is not simply to “walk straighter.” The goal is to improve how the body coordinates movement, distributes force, and reduces unnecessary stress on joints and soft tissues.

Osteopathic Manual Therapy

Osteopathic Manual Therapy may focus on how the entire body moves during walking and weight transfer. Since gait involves coordination from the feet to the head, osteopathic care may assess the ankles, knees, hips, pelvis, spine, ribs, shoulders, and neck to identify where movement is restricted or compensation is occurring.

Osteopathic treatment may include:

• Assessing pelvic and spinal movement

• Improving hip, knee, ankle, and foot joint mobility

• Addressing sacroiliac joint and pelvic mechanics

• Reducing compensatory tension through the lower back, hips, and legs

• Improving rib and thoracic mobility when upper body compensation is present

• Supporting more balanced weight transfer

• Addressing fascial restrictions through the lower limb and pelvis

• Improving whole-body coordination during walking mechanics

Osteopathic care may help reduce mechanical strain by improving how different regions of the body share load during movement.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy may help improve strength, balance, coordination, and walking or running mechanics. This is especially important when gait abnormalities are linked to weakness, injury recovery, poor motor control, instability, or return-to-sport needs.

Physiotherapy may include:

• Gait assessment and walking analysis

• Running mechanics assessment when appropriate

• Gait retraining

• Strengthening exercises for the hips, glutes, calves, feet, and core

• Balance and coordination training

• Functional movement training

• Ankle, knee, and hip stability exercises

• Step, squat, lunge, and single-leg control training

• Return-to-running progression

• Sport-specific movement retraining

• Education on footwear, pacing, and load management

Physiotherapy helps rebuild the strength and control needed to support more efficient walking, running, and athletic movement.

Book an Assessment

If walking, running, standing, or sport feels uneven or causes discomfort, our team can assess your gait mechanics and identify contributing movement factors.

A comprehensive assessment can help determine whether symptoms are related to foot mechanics, ankle mobility, knee control, hip strength, pelvic movement, spinal restriction, balance, coordination, or compensation patterns travelling through the body.