What Is A Biomechanical Assessment?

A biomechanical assessment is an examination of the lower limb, checking its structure and alignment. It also will give us a good idea of the limbs strengths and weaknesses. The human foot alone has 26 bones, over 200 ligaments, and 38 muscles, so there are many things that could cause you pain if you suffered an injury. With a biomechanical assessment, we aim to reduce the potential of injuries by analysing not only the foot but also the legs and knees and how they all operate in one fluid motion. It's important to not only look at the foot during this assessment because all of your lower limbs are closely connected, and a problem in one area could be due to or causing another issue in another part of the lower limb.

When should I have a biomechanical assessment?

If you're experiencing pain in the lower limb, a biomechanical assessment is one of the first things you should consider to try and diagnose the problem. This is because it provides us with a complete and comprehensive understanding of any occurring issues causing you pain.

This will help us to pinpoint the cause of your problems and advise you with a solution in the fastest amount of time.  

A biomechanical assessment can also be very useful for runners and those that partake in various sports because it will analyse your movement and help you to notice anything that you may be doing wrong when participating.

What are the treatment options for problems found using a biomechanical assessment?

The recommended treatment after a biomechanical assessment is primarily dependent on the results of the assessment. Suppose you have good overall foot health and a good level of structure in your foot mechanics. In that case, we will usually only advise you on how you can prevent future injuries, for example, which shoes would be best for you to wear or if there are some insoles that you may benefit from.

If our examination shows that your gait could be a contributing factor to your foot problems, insoles or custom made orthotics could potentially be the solution, but it's not something we know for sure until the assessment has been carried out. 

If you feel you are suffering from foot problems, contact us today to book an appointment. At our bury clinic, we now also offer the latest Podosmart technology to analyse your gait.