Your feet are your connection with the ground.
How pressure is distributed through them, how you walk and how your body manages load can all influence the way you move.
At Summit Physio, our Footscan Gait Analysis uses pressure-mapping technology to build a detailed picture of your movement.
Where clinically appropriate, that information can then be used alongside your assessment to design custom 3D printed orthotics around your individual needs.
A gait assessment isn’t simply about deciding whether your feet are “flat” or whether you need an insole.
We look at how your feet interact with the ground and consider that information alongside:
The aim is to understand whether foot pressure or gait appears relevant to your problem before deciding whether any intervention is needed.
You don’t need to be an elite athlete.
A gait assessment may be useful if you are:
Custom orthotics may be considered as part of a wider management plan for selected lower-limb and foot-related conditions.
These can include:
Pain around the heel or plantar fascia may sometimes benefit from additional support alongside rehabilitation and activity management.
Persistent Achilles problems can require a combination of load management, strengthening and, in some cases, additional support.
Medial tibial stress syndrome can be influenced by several factors, including training load and how force is managed through the lower limb.
Knee pain around the kneecap can involve multiple contributing factors, and footwear or orthotic support may occasionally form part of a broader treatment approach.
Your appointment combines clinical assessment with pressure and gait data.
If custom orthotics are recommended, the process continues beyond the initial scan.
Your clinician reviews both the scan data and the findings from your wider assessment.
The orthotic specification is built around your movement, symptoms and goals.
Your orthotics are 3D printed and quality checked.
Once ready, they can be fitted into suitable footwear such as: - Running trainers - Golf shoes - Football boots - Walking boots - Everyday footwear Summit fits its custom orthotic devices to the footwear relevant to the activity the client needs them for.
A gait assessment may be worth considering if you notice:
None of these automatically means you need orthotics.
The purpose of the assessment is to understand whether they are actually relevant to you. Summit lists foot pain, heel pain, arch shape, balance concerns and uneven shoe wear among common reasons people seek assessment.
If your assessment suggests that custom orthotics may be beneficial, your gait and clinical data can be used to create a personalised prescription.
Summit offers Phits custom 3D printed orthotics, designed from the information collected during your assessment.
The aim is to create support that reflects your individual movement and loading rather than using a generic off-the-shelf insole.
Footscan technology provides objective information about pressure distribution and loading.
The scan is only one part of the picture. Your symptoms, movement and goals matter too.
Where appropriate, orthotics can be designed around your individual data.
Your assessment can be tailored around running, golf, walking, work or general activity.
Choose the Summit location that works best for you.
Wrightington Hotel & Country Club
Moss Lane
Wigan
Greater Manchester
WN6 9PB
Gait analysis looks at how you move when standing, walking or running.
At Summit, Footscan technology can measure pressure distribution, balance and loading through different areas of the feet.
No.
The purpose of assessment is to decide whether orthotics are appropriate rather than assume that everyone needs them.
Custom orthotics are personalised devices designed to sit inside your footwear and provide support based on your individual assessment.
Summit uses custom 3D printed Phits orthotics.
Orthotics may form part of a wider management plan for plantar fascia-related heel pain in selected cases.
Assessment is important because treatment may also involve exercise, load management and other approaches.
They may be considered in some cases alongside rehabilitation.
They are not a replacement for appropriate strengthening and treatment where those are required.
Yes.
The Footscan system can be used while walking or running.
For a more comprehensive running assessment, you may also benefit from Summit’s dedicated Running Analysis service.
Yes, where appropriate.
Custom orthotics can be fitted into footwear such as running trainers, golf shoes, football boots or walking boots.
Yes.
Bring the footwear you use most often for the activity or situation that is causing concern.
The scan provides useful information about pressure and loading, but it should not be interpreted in isolation.
Your clinician will consider the data alongside your symptoms and physical assessment.
In most cases, no.
You can book a private gait assessment directly.
If you’re using private medical insurance, check whether your provider requires a referral or authorisation.
Whether you’re running, walking, working on your feet or trying to understand a recurring lower-limb problem, a detailed gait assessment can help build a clearer picture of how your body interacts with the ground.
Start with the assessment. Then decide what you actually need.
