Video Gait Analysis

I had my first experience with video gait analysis today and the experience was totally cool (excuse the 80’s colloquialism – I can’t help myself).

Armed with my credit card, and my current running shoes, I headed out to my local running store, Front Running Sports in Lake Mary, Florida. The sales person first took a video of my feet while running in a neutral shoe on a treadmill and then let me watch it in slow motion. My pronation was slight but easily noticed. She then had me try on a pair of Brooks (Defiance, if I recall correctly) and had me run on the treadmill again. Watching the second video in slow motion I was truly amazed, the correction was instantly apparent. Armed with this knowledge she was able to recommend four different shoes from four different manufacturers, Saucony, Brooks, Asics and Pearl Izumi. I tried them all on and she encouraged me to take them outside for a test run.

I walked out of the store with a new pair of Asics Gel 1150’s, $20 under my budget, and very satisfied with my purchase. I am excited to try them out and will post a review after I have a few runs in them.

I had my pronation correctly diagnosed by a salesperson at another well respected store in the area several years ago and all of my shoe purchases since then have been based on that diagnosis. Without the benefit of the video analysis I was left with the impression that the diagnosis required some kind of voodoo magic. I am now much more confident about what I need in a running shoe.

I could tell even from the short run I took in front of the store that the source of the knee pain I have experienced over the past few weeks was my worn out running shoes.  I can't wait to get back to a regular running schedule.