Running Assessment & Gait Analysis

Medically reviewed by Steve Canning, Clinical Director & Senior Physiotherapist.

Whether you are working through your first Couch to 5K, building towards a 10K, chasing a marathon personal best, preparing for an ultra-distance event or returning from injury, understanding how you run gives you real insight into your performance and your injury risk. Around 40% of runners sustain a running-related injury¹. Our Running Assessment & Gait Analysis is delivered at our Sheffield West clinic, as part of the Sheffield Running Clinic.

At the White House Clinic, our running assessment with gait analysis combines advanced AI-powered gait analysis technology with biomechanical testing and expert physiotherapy assessment.

The result is a detailed understanding of your running mechanics, movement patterns, strengths and limitations, helping you make more informed decisions about training, rehabilitation and performance development.

What is a running assessment?

A running assessment is a detailed evaluation of the factors that influence how you run. It combines running gait analysis, biomechanical testing and baseline profiling to build a full picture of your running, then turns that picture into personalised recommendations you can apply to your training straight away.

Many runners focus on mileage, pace and training plans, but underlying movement patterns, strength deficits, mobility restrictions and biomechanical factors can all influence running efficiency, performance and injury risk.

Our running assessment combines:

• Running gait analysis
• Biomechanical testing
• Running movement assessment
• Baseline profiling
• Personalised recommendations

Together these provide a comprehensive picture of your running.

Who is it for?

A running assessment suits runners of all abilities, from beginners following a Couch to 5K plan through to experienced marathon and ultra-distance runners. It is most useful if you are picking up recurring injuries, coming back from one, preparing for an event, or you simply want objective insight into how you run.

A running assessment may be beneficial if you:

• Experience recurring running injuries
• Want to improve running technique and efficiency
• Are returning to running after injury
• Have persistent aches or niggles during training
• Are preparing for a race or event
• Have recently increased training volume
• Want objective insight into your running mechanics
• Want to reduce your risk of running injury
• Want to optimise performance

Increases in training load are among the factors most consistently linked to running injury², as our clinicians set out in common mistakes causing injury in runners.

Many runners seek an assessment after repeated episodes of Achilles pain, runner's knee, shin splints, plantar fasciitis or calf injuries.

Others simply want to better understand how they run and identify opportunities for improvement.

Why does running technique matter?

Running technique is only one part of the performance and injury-risk puzzle, but it can play an important role. Certain movement patterns may increase load through specific tissues, while others may reduce running efficiency and increase energy expenditure.

By understanding your running mechanics, we can identify potential opportunities to improve:

• Running economy
• Movement efficiency
• Force production
• Load distribution
• Training tolerance
• Long-term resilience

Importantly, recommendations are always considered within the context of the individual runner rather than generic running advice.

What does it involve?

Your assessment has three parts: running gait analysis using AI-powered technology, a series of biomechanical tests, and the creation of an objective baseline that future assessments are measured against. The findings are then written up for you as a personalised report with recommendations.

Running gait analysis

At the centre of the assessment is detailed running gait analysis using AI-powered gait analysis technology.

Running gait analysis evaluates the way your body moves throughout the running cycle and helps identify movement patterns that may influence performance, efficiency and injury risk. Our clinical guide to video gait analysis shows the approach in practice.

Using AI-powered technology, we assess factors including:

• Running posture
• Running symmetry
• Stride mechanics
• Cadence
• Pelvic control
• Joint movement patterns
• Ground interaction
• Movement efficiency

The purpose is not to force every runner into a single ideal running style.

Instead, we aim to understand how your individual movement patterns interact with your training history, injury history and running goals.

Biomechanical testing

Running is influenced by much more than what can be seen during gait analysis.

In addition to your running assessment, we perform a series of biomechanical tests designed to evaluate the physical qualities that support efficient running.

Assessment will include:

• Strength testing
• Flexibility assessment
• Balance testing
• Single-leg control assessment
• Functional movement testing
• Running-specific strength measures

This helps identify factors that may not be immediately visible during running itself.

For example, reduced hip strength, ankle mobility restrictions or poor single-leg control may contribute to compensatory movement patterns and recurring injuries.

Establishing your running baseline

One of the most valuable outcomes of a running assessment is the creation of an objective baseline.

Rather than relying on assumptions, your gait analysis and biomechanical testing results provide measurable data that can be tracked over time.

Your baseline can help:

• Monitor progress
• Measure rehabilitation outcomes
• Track improvements in running mechanics
• Assess adaptation to training
• Guide future decision-making
• Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions

For runners interested in long-term development, establishing a baseline creates a useful reference point for future reassessment.

Your personalised running report

Following the assessment, you will receive a detailed summary of your findings.

This report will include:

• Running gait analysis findings
• Biomechanical testing results
• Areas of strength
• Areas for development
• Injury risk considerations
• Running-specific recommendations

The goal is to provide practical, actionable information that you can immediately apply to your training.

Recommendations and action planning

Every runner receives recommendations tailored to their individual findings and goals. These may include:

• Running technique. Where appropriate, advice may be provided regarding running mechanics and movement efficiency.
• Reducing injury risk. Recommendations designed to improve resilience and reduce exposure to common running injuries.
• Strength and conditioning priorities. Targeted exercises designed to address identified weaknesses and support running performance.
• Mobility and movement work. Strategies to address restrictions that may influence running mechanics.
• Training guidance. Recommendations relating to training load, progression and return-to-running planning where appropriate.

Follow-up and reassessment

For many runners, reassessment is where the real value emerges. A follow-up assessment measures your progress against your baseline, comparing current results against your original data to determine whether meaningful changes have occurred. A Running Assessment follow-up costs £80.

A reassessment can be performed at any stage in your training. We normally recommend at least 12 weeks between assessments to allow time for adaptation to occur.

The follow-up assessment will include:

• Repeat running gait analysis
• Repeat biomechanical testing
• Progress review
• Comparison against baseline data
• Updated recommendations
• Progression of exercise programmes

This creates a clear pathway for ongoing development rather than a one-off assessment.

A follow-up assessment can help:

• Confirm improvements in running mechanics
• Measure strength gains
• Monitor rehabilitation progress
• Identify remaining limitations
• Reduce the risk of recurring injury
• Refine future training decisions
• Check that interventions are producing results

Objective reassessment allows decisions to be based on measurable outcomes rather than perception alone.

Why choose the White House Clinic for your running assessment?

Unlike standalone gait analysis services, your assessment is delivered within the wider Sheffield Running Clinic, so it is supported by clinicians with extensive experience of treating runners and working within the local running community. Should further support be required, you also have access to a broader network of services through the White House Clinic, including:

• Physiotherapy
• Diagnostic ultrasound
• Sports & Exercise Medicine Consultant appointments
• Shockwave therapy
• Sports massage
• Pilates
• Strength and conditioning for runners
• Custom compression socks through ISOBAR

This integrated approach allows us to support runners from initial assessment through to rehabilitation, performance development and long-term reduction of injury risk.

How much does it cost?

A Running Assessment & Gait Analysis at the White House Clinic costs £100. A Running Assessment follow-up, which compares your current results against your original baseline, costs £80. Our full price list is on the prices page.

Book your running assessment

If you want to better understand your running mechanics, improve performance, reduce injury risk and receive objective, personalised recommendations, book a Running Assessment & Gait Analysis at the White House Clinic's Sheffield West clinic.

Our team can help you run more efficiently, train with confidence and stay active for longer.

Book online at book an appointment or call 0114 230 2030. No referral needed.

This page is general information and not a substitute for individual assessment. Book an appointment or call 0114 230 2030 to speak to our team.

References

• ¹ Kakouris N, Yener N, Fong DTP (2021), A systematic review of running-related musculoskeletal injuries in runners. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 10(5):513-522 - a systematic review of 42 studies covering more than 33,000 runners, which put the overall running-related injury incidence at 40.2%: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8500811/
• ² Correia CK, Machado JM, Dominski FH, et al. (2024), Risk factors for running-related injuries: an umbrella systematic review. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 13(6):793-804 - an umbrella review of 13 systematic reviews covering 148 primary studies, which found running and training characteristics among the risk factors with the largest effect sizes: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11336318/