Comprehensive biomechanical assessment.

Biomechanical assessment: the functional X-ray of your gait.

The biomechanical assessment is the clinical examination that translates your symptoms into data. It combines manual examination, gait observation and objective measurements using a podoscope and pressure platform to identify which postural pattern is causing the problem. It is the diagnostic tool that distinguishes between ‘your foot hurts’ and ‘your foot hurts because you have excessive pronation of the rearfoot with overload of the head of the second metatarsal’.

Without an assessment, an insole is an experiment. With an assessment, it is a concrete solution. That is why every patient I refer for foot orthotics first undergoes this analysis. And many arrive with one idea (“I think I need insoles”) and leave with another (“the problem was my footwear and posture”).

It is also the only protocol capable of explaining seemingly unrelated pains: knee pain in someone with no joint injury, lower back pain that only occurs when walking, unusual leg fatigue after 30 minutes of standing. Many of these issues stem from how the foot distributes the body’s weight with every step.

Situations where it is most beneficial.

Biomechanical analysis is not for all patients — it is for those with a symptom suspected to be of functional or postural origin:

• Heel, sole or metatarsal pain that does not resolve on its own
• Knee, hip or lower back pain with no clear traumatic cause
• Athletes with recurring injuries in the same area
• Children with an awkward gait, or feet turned inwards or outwards
• Adults experiencing unusual fatigue when walking or standing
• Before prescribing custom insoles — always
• Following foot or ankle surgery, to assess new biomechanics
• Pregnancy or postpartum with changes in gait causing pain

What the assessment involves.

The full protocol takes No fixed duration — we take the time your case needs in a single session. You’ll leave with a written report and a clear diagnosis. These are the phases:

1. Medical history and static examination: Medical, sporting and trauma history. Current pain, its timing, what makes it worse or better. Manual examination: body symmetry, alignment of knees and hips, range of motion in the ankle and foot, basic muscle strength. This is where the assessment begins.
2. Dynamic examinationObservation of gait on a firm surface: phases of support, foot axis, hip swing, knee position. If you are an athlete, we also observe your running. We film this to review in slow motion.
3. Instrumental analysis: Podoscope (plantar view under glass with a mirror) — plantar support pattern, pressure zones. Pressure platform — quantitative map of static and dynamic loads, pressure distribution, symmetry between feet. Assessment of current footwear: wear patterns reveal the truth about how you walk.
4. Clinical report and planFunctional diagnosis with a specific diagnosis (not ‘you have flat feet’ — but ‘dynamic pronation of the rearfoot with collapse of the medial arch and overload of the second metatarsal’). Probable cause of the symptom. Recommendations: podiatric treatment, insoles if appropriate, complementary physiotherapy, referral to another professional if necessary. Estimated time to recovery.

What you take away.

At the end of the assessment, you’ll leave with:

• A written clinical report with diagnosis, findings, measurements and recommendations
• Printed pressure map (static and dynamic) if applicable
• A treatment plan with priorities, expected timelines and options
• Photos or a video of your gait if you need them to show another specialist
• Specific footwear recommendations for your case
• If you need insoles: detailed prescription for the laboratory
• Scheduled follow-up appointment depending on your progress

The report is yours. You can take it to your physiotherapist, orthopaedic surgeon, GP or trainer. It is designed to be shared with other professionals involved in your healthcare.

The most frequently asked questions.