When it comes to personal training and all other professions dealing with the human form and how it moves, knowing more isn’t always the answer. Combining a trained eye with other senses such as feeling and listening can prove to be more than enough in most instances. But sometimes, there is a missing piece of information that might better equip us as exercise professionals to better inform our clients. Learning about the intricacies of human gait as it relates to the efficiency of foot strike and push off patterns has been a crucial addition to the services we provide. We are using state-of-the-art technology to pick up what the human eye can’t. Observation is necessary but sometimes utilizing technology to fill in the missing pieces can be beneficial to fully educate and help a client.
How Can Technology Help?
BTS Bioengineering has developed a clinical grade evaluation tool that we use to better understand the biomechanics of the foot and ankle. This plantar pressure plate is called the P-Walk and is a critical component of our overall evaluation processes for current and new clients. To learn more about the technology being used, check out the P-Walk’s capability at BTS Bioengineering and to learn more about how we use it, check out Plantar Pressure Analysis and set up your appointment today.
What Does it Look Like?
Below you will find an example of a static analysis on an avid runner. He came to me with slight left lateral knee pain halfway through his runs and come to find out he was placing almost three percent more weight into that leg than his right leg. Had we not discovered this weight bearing discrepancy, we would have been left with basic exercise prescription as a metaphorical shot in the dark moving forward. Using the P-Walk allows us to complete our assessment techniques and better prescribe more effective exercise programming.
