Heel Striking, Overstriding, and More: What Your Gait Says About You
Running may seem simple, but the mechanics behind it are complex. Every stride you take reflects how your body moves, compensates, and absorbs impact. For runners, even small inefficiencies in gait can lead to significant issues over time — from nagging overuse injuries to declining performance.
READ: The Complete Guide to Running Physical Therapy and Gait Analysis in Rockville Centre
Gait mechanics refer to the way your body moves while running — including how your feet strike the ground, how your limbs swing, and how your joints absorb and transfer force. When these patterns are off, even slightly, the repetitive nature of running can turn small dysfunctions into chronic problems.
That’s where gait analysis becomes essential. It helps identify the root causes of pain, inefficiency, or poor performance. More importantly, it reveals patterns that can be improved through targeted physical therapy interventions. For runners looking to stay injury-free and run more efficiently, understanding your gait is one of the most powerful tools you have.
Common Gait Deviations: What We See Most Often
Every runner has a unique stride, but certain gait deviations tend to show up time and again in those dealing with pain or performance plateaus. At Trident Physical Therapy, we frequently observe a few patterns that signal underlying issues.
Heel striking — where the heel hits the ground well in front of the body — is one of the most common. While not inherently bad, excessive heel striking can increase braking forces and load the knees more than necessary, particularly if combined with poor shock absorption mechanics.
Overstriding often accompanies heel striking. This happens when a runner’s foot lands too far in front of the body’s center of mass. It may feel like you're covering more ground, but it actually disrupts efficiency and increases impact forces.
Another common pattern is crossover gait, where a runner’s feet land closer to a single centerline instead of shoulder-width apart. This can lead to hip drop, knee valgus, and increased stress on the IT band.
We also see excessive vertical oscillation — when runners bounce too much — and lack of posterior chain engagement, where the glutes and hamstrings aren’t doing their fair share of the work.
Each of these deviations is a sign that something deeper may be going on — and physical therapy is often the key to uncovering what that is.
Common Gait Deviations: What We See Most Often
Every runner has a unique stride, but certain gait deviations tend to show up time and again in those dealing with pain or performance plateaus. At Trident Physical Therapy, we frequently observe a few patterns that signal underlying issues.
Heel striking — where the heel hits the ground well in front of the body — is one of the most common. While not inherently bad, excessive heel striking can increase braking forces and load the knees more than necessary, particularly if combined with poor shock absorption mechanics.
Overstriding often accompanies heel striking. This happens when a runner’s foot lands too far in front of the body’s center of mass. It may feel like you're covering more ground, but it actually disrupts efficiency and increases impact forces.
Another common pattern is crossover gait, where a runner’s feet land closer to a single centerline instead of shoulder-width apart. This can lead to hip drop, knee valgus, and increased stress on the IT band.
We also see excessive vertical oscillation — when runners bounce too much — and lack of posterior chain engagement, where the glutes and hamstrings aren’t doing their fair share of the work.
Each of these deviations is a sign that something deeper may be going on — and physical therapy is often the key to uncovering what that is.
What These Patterns Say About Your Strength and Mobility
Gait deviations don’t happen in isolation — they’re often signs of deeper issues with strength, mobility, or motor control. When we evaluate runners at Trident Physical Therapy, we use gait analysis not just to see how someone moves, but to understand why they move that way.
For example, heel striking and overstriding often indicate limited ankle mobility or weak hip extensors. If the glutes and hamstrings aren’t strong enough to drive propulsion, runners tend to overcompensate by reaching forward with the legs — which disrupts natural stride rhythm and increases impact.
A crossover gait is frequently tied to poor pelvic stability. Weakness in the lateral hip muscles — especially the gluteus medius — leads to excessive inward collapse of the knees and hips, which not only affects alignment but increases injury risk.
READ: What Is Gait Analysis and How Does It Improve Running Efficiency?
When runners exhibit excessive bounce or vertical motion, it usually points to poor core stability or inefficient leg stiffness. The body isn’t absorbing and redirecting force effectively, which can lead to fatigue and joint strain over time.
By identifying these patterns and their underlying causes, we can tailor treatment to strengthen the right muscles, improve mobility, and reinforce proper neuromuscular control — all of which are essential for healthy, efficient running.
How Gait Analysis Guides Personalized Treatment
At Trident Physical Therapy, gait analysis is more than just watching someone run — it’s a diagnostic tool that guides the entire treatment process. By observing how your body moves, we gain insight into the specific mechanics behind your discomfort, inefficiencies, or recurring injuries.
Our process begins with a video-based gait assessment, where we analyze your stride from multiple angles. We look at foot strike patterns, stride length, cadence, joint angles, and postural alignment. From there, we connect the visual data with findings from a hands-on physical assessment to pinpoint the root cause of movement dysfunction.
This information allows us to develop a customized plan of care. For one runner, that might mean focusing on ankle mobility and glute activation. For another, it could involve retraining stride cadence and improving trunk stability.
Importantly, gait analysis also provides measurable benchmarks. We can track changes over time and adjust your program as your form and strength improve. This ensures that your recovery and performance goals remain in sync — and that you’re not just getting better, but staying better.
Improving Your Running Form with Physical Therapy
Running with poor form can hold you back — and over time, it can lead to pain that’s hard to shake. The good news is that running mechanics can be improved, especially with guidance from a physical therapist who understands how to rebuild movement patterns from the ground up.
At Trident Physical Therapy, we use a combination of targeted strength training, mobility work, and neuromuscular re-education to help runners move more efficiently. We address weak links in the kinetic chain, from stiff ankles and tight hips to underactive glutes and core muscles.
Real-time gait retraining is often part of the process. This may involve adjusting cadence, stride length, or posture during treadmill running, with visual or verbal feedback to reinforce better habits. These small adjustments, when practiced consistently, lead to long-term changes in how you run.
We also use corrective drills that simulate optimal running mechanics — such as A-skips, bounding, or wall drills — to build awareness and control outside of the clinic setting. Over time, these exercises rewire your motor patterns so that better form becomes second nature.
Whether you’re recovering from an injury or aiming to run stronger and more efficiently, physical therapy provides the tools and structure to make lasting improvements.
Expert Gait Analysis at Trident Physical Therapy
At Trident Physical Therapy in Rockville Centre, we specialize in helping runners move better — not just through treatment, but through a deeper understanding of their movement patterns. Our gait analysis services are designed to uncover the why behind your pain or inefficiency and use that insight to guide personalized, effective care.
Whether you’re dealing with a nagging injury or simply want to improve your form, our team will assess your stride, identify imbalances, and build a plan that’s tailored to your goals. We combine evidence-based interventions with hands-on care to help you correct faulty mechanics, build strength, and return to running with confidence.
We’re not here to fit you into a generic mold — we’re here to help you become a stronger, more resilient version of yourself. And it all starts with understanding what your gait says about you.