Gait and posture - assessment in general practice.

BACKGROUND A basic analysis of a patient's gait and posture provides information about the body and the capability of the musculoskeletal system to adjust to physical stressors. An understanding of normal gait and posture is essential for identifying and treating musculoskeletal pain. OBJECTIVE This article discusses normal gait and how to assess gait. It also outlines common musculoskeletal conditions and their association with abnormal gait and posture. General practitioners can detect faulty postural syndromes and abnormal gait by visual scanning and awareness of pain referral patterns. DISCUSSION Awareness of pain that can arise from faulty gait and posture will assist GPs to shift their focus away from structural diagnoses and unhelpful radiological investigations. The GP can become an effective facilitator of the prevention and rehabilitation of pain problems where abnormal gait and posture are found to be a main contributing factor.