A breakdown of the gait cycle: biomechanics basics

This chapter focuses on the basics of gait from a biomechanical perspective. The gait cycle in itself is one of the key functions of locomotion and human movement in which we analyse daily. Emphasis will be placed on key characteristics of the gait cycle and gait metrics in which we can measure in a range of clinical and scientific practice. The chapter gives an overview of different clinical subgroups, including ageing, neurology and cardio–pulmonary diseases as well as running gait analysis. Finally, the chapter explores the differences in how we would measure gait in a laboratory setting compared to free-living environments.