07/18/2026
The Art of Watching Someone Walk
Many years ago during my residency training, I completed a podiatric orthopedic residency that profoundly shaped how I practice today.
My training included rotations through major teaching hospitals, including a Veterans Affairs hospital and a Level I trauma center. Days were filled with emergency room coverage, inpatient rounds, admissions, conferences, surgery, physical therapy, medicine, and outpatient clinics alongside medical students, residents, nurses, and attending physicians.
While much of the surgical training focused on limb salvage and reconstructive procedures, some of the most valuable lessons came from studying something much simpler:
How people walk.
During residency, I spent countless hours studying gait analysis, biomechanics, orthotics, prosthetics, and the relationship between the foot and the ground. It reinforced a passion I had already developed during podiatry school—a fascination with how forces move through the body with every step we take.
As a young clinician, I was amazed watching senior physicians identify problems within seconds of observing a patient walk down a hallway.
A short leg.
A painful knee.
A weak hip.
An improperly fitted brace.
A walker being used incorrectly.
At the time it seemed almost magical.
Years later, after evaluating thousands upon thousands of patients, I found myself developing that same skill.
Today, biomechanics remains one of the most overlooked aspects of healthcare.
We often focus on imaging, medications, injections, and surgery, yet the body must continually manage significant forces through the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine. The foot serves as the foundation, and when it is unstable, the effects extend throughout the entire kinetic chain.
A careful gait analysis—combined with seated and standing exams, shoe evaluation, and assessment of balance and function—often reveals opportunities to improve a patient’s condition without surgery.
Sometimes the solution is a custom orthotic.
Sometimes it’s a more appropriate shoe.
Sometimes it’s an ankle-foot orthosis AFO, a walking boot, or an assistive device such as a cane, walker, or crutches.
Sometimes it’s a referral to physical therapy.
Often, it’s a combination of these approaches.
One of the most rewarding aspects of practice is seeing older adults regain confidence in their mobility after addressing these issues. Improved mobility reduces fall risk while supporting independence, social engagement, cognitive health, and overall quality of life.
Every day, we have the opportunity to improve lives not only through procedures and prescriptions, but through a better understanding of how the body moves.
Sometimes the most powerful diagnostic tool is simply taking a moment to watch someone walk.
