Gait and Posture

I chose to include this assignment in my portfolio because I believe posture and

gait have much to do with identifying the status of physical health. There is evidence of

this written in an article by Fritz et al. that speaks about gait speed being the sixth vital

sign. As physical therapists, doing a postural and gait analysis will help immensely

when identifying impairments and deviations that contribute to functional limitations and

pain. Chronic pain is often influenced by sustained postures and poor habits that

individuals may be unaware of and causing pain. Doing an analysis can potentially

contribute to the improvements in physical health and prevent a cascade of chain

events in which more impairments develop due to the link between anatomical

structures.

A problem at one site of the body that is left untreated may lead to more

problems nearby. Identifying the problem as soon as possible can prevent those other

problems from occurring. The issue with identifying the problem early is that many

patients are unaware that their habits can be causing pain not only at the problem site

but in other areas. It is important that physical therapists spread awareness and provide

education to the public that promotes good habits and postures so that patients can

function and live well and pain-free.