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GAIT ANALYSIS

Tread
carefully
Biomechanical Dysfunction affects more than
50% of the population. Are you one of them?

O
ur bodies function as a whole The real magic comes from the APOS
and something as ‘small’ as a footwear, two ‘Pertupods’ or cushioned discs
problematic toe joint can give are attached to the sole of special shoes –
rise to problems in the hip, these are fully adjustable and subtly alter
lower back and even in the foot-strike and correct imbalances. Noga
neck and shoulders, as Caroline Sandry altered my shoes several times until she was
recently discovered….. fully satisfied that my knee was no longer
As a Pilates teacher, I’m well versed in dropping and I was walking efficiently.
postural assessments, pain, and mis- At the clinic I met an APOS client who
aligned bodies. Client’s often don’t explained that the system had really changed
associate back pain, for example, with a her life. She had tried many different
foot which perhaps over-pronates, or hip treatments for pain, and after a couple of
pain caused by knock knees, a
consequence perhaps of weak gluteal
muscles. As the body tries to compensate
for a weakness or injury somewhere, a
chain reaction occurs moving the problem
elsewhere. And the more steps you take,
the more that chain reaction is repeated -
helping to explain why runners and very
active people are prone to pain and injury.
Gait imbalance specialists work to
identify and correct gait imbalances, I
went along to find our more from two very
different styles of practitioner.

✱ Bupa ‘APOS’
treatment
APOS, (‘All Phases of Step Cycle’) was
developed by Israeli Doctors – Dr. Amit
Mor and Dr. Avi Elbas. Bupa has given
approval to the system for their patients.
Based in Reading I was assessed by
Noga Ronkin. After assessing my gait,
checking my posture and alignment and
any muscle imbalances, it was into the
laboratory where I had to walk along a
‘mat’ which houses the brains of the
system. It measures stride length, ground
contact time, speed and toe in/ out. The
information gained is instantly printed out.
Noga adjusts my APOS shoe
months of wearing her APOS shoes could
now walk freely, stretch and lift with no pain.
The verdict
I have an over-tight piriformis (deep rotator
muscle) and possible piriformis syndrome
and my left knee drops in as I walk. The
piriformis problem, it transpires is probably
the result of an injury to my big toe caused
playing beach football about a year ago. This
resulted in being unable to fully weight bear
on that joint and created a literal pain in my Testing gait in the APOS clinic

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GAIT ANALYSIS

butt, lower back and definite mis-alignment.
Who is it for?
Anyone who has non-specific low back
pain, knee pain and hip pain. Also
beneficial for rehabilitation after knee
surgery or from ankle sprains or fractures.
The APOS shoe
could clearly be seen on every stride. A
weak left gluteus medius meant my right
hip dropped when running. As with APOS,
I also have a valgus leg axis (knock knees).
Mitchell and Elle explained my results
ensuring that I fully understood the
‘diagnoses’. They then gave me
strengthening exercises and stretches
(with and without a foam roller) as well as
a list of suitable running shoes.
you will become a better runner!)
The pros
Affordable - £165 for the premium service,
£75 for the basic analysis.
Watching your footage and understanding
where problems are created (you’re given a
cd of it) gives you the incentive to do the
correcting exercises. (you’re provided with
illustrations of these to take home).

The Cons
Only based in Hove, so could be a long
way to travel - a weekend in Brighton
could be the answer.

To find out more: www.strideuk.com

Great news! StrideUK are offering
readers a 20% discount for bookings
Personally it’s too soon for me to tell if made over the next month! (offer
the treatment will work– APOS is a clinical ends Dec 31st)
treatment and the initial package takes six
months, so I will need to wear the shoes Taking preventative steps now can save
Take-home video analysis of your running gait
for a few months first (but watch out for you from pain or injury later. The site of
updates as I continue my treatment.) your pain may not be the site of the
Who is it for? problem - both APOS and Stride (and other
The pros Anybody serious about their health and fitness, similar running analysis systems) enable
The treatment is easy and compliance especially runners - even if you are problem you to identify your muscle imbalances
rates are high – all you have to do is wear free (you’ll be given so much information, that and give you a plan to correct them. UF
the footwear!
Gait analysis in action
The cons
Whilst some Bupa clients can get this
treatment for free if they have knee pain
(definitely worth investigating) and
discounted for back pain, non-Bupa
members have to pay £2,925 (or £3250, if
the payment is spread over six months).
The initial consultation is however free.

To find out more:

T: APOS/Bupa 0845 600 3748
W: www.apostreatment.co.uk

✱ StrideUK’s
biomechanical
profiling
Stride produces your unique bio-
mechanical profile. This helps understand
your posture, flexibility and muscle
imbalances. They use intuitive motion
analysis software.
Based in Hove, I was met by Stride’s
proprietors and performance analysts
Mitchell marks up a client
Mitchell and Elle Phillips. Markers were
ready for analysis
drawn on and stuck to my body – these
were used to measure my movements
through video filming and computer
rendering. I was filmed from various angles
in trainers and barefoot. The data was
collected and the ‘magic’ software
instantly displayed my results.

The Verdict
Again, my tight piriformis was a problem
and tight hip flexors, particularly on my left
side. This caused my left foot and leg to
track in a very unbalanced fashion and

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