28/07/2025
What Is Gait Analysis?
Gait analysis involves the careful examination of a horse’s movement to identify asymmetries, irregularities, or compensatory patterns that may indicate discomfort, pain, or biomechanical dysfunction. Traditionally, gait evaluation relied heavily on a clinician's observation, but subtle issues may go undetected by the naked eye. With Sleip's AI-powered technology, over 100 anatomical points are tracked in real-time from a simple video, providing a stride-by-stride assessment with remarkable precision.
What is the Role of Gait Analysis in Chiropractic Care?
Gait analysis is growing in popularity among musculoskeletal and chiropractic practitioners, and for good reason;
- It gives objective data to help drive evidence-based and data-driven decision making
- It allows for early detection of subtle asymmetries which may not have yet been detected
- Establishing an individual baseline for each horse allows practitioners to monitor for changes over time, helping to catch problems early.
- Gait analysis helps track the effectiveness of chiropractic interventions and/or rehabilitation programs, showing how a horse's movement patterns change with treatment.
- It can be used to assess the impact of adjustments, physiotherapy, shoeing modifications, or exercise regimens.
- From a clinical perspective, it allows for more detailed reporting and easier communication between professionals
What are the Limitations of Gait Analysis?
As great as it is having objective data through gait analysis, there are certainly limitations to its use and interpretation;
- Whilst it is considered objective data, variances will still occur due to environment and handler effects.
- Data alone does not create an overall clinical picture. Data is a piece of information that needs to be interpreted along with the practitioner’s observations and findings, as well as the history and current presentation of the horse.
- Over-reliance on data. This goes hand in hand with the above point. Using data effectively relies on the education and experience of the practitioner. The inexperienced practitioner may become over-reliant on using the data to form their decisions, which actually conflicts with the pillars of evidence-based practice.
The Main Takeaway;
Integrating objective gait analysis tools like Sleip AI into chiropractic practice can empower practitioners to deliver more precise and proactive care. By combining data-driven insights with clinical expertise, practitioners can maximize performance, enhance well-being, and ensure optimal outcomes for every horse entrusted to their care.
