Dr. Esquenazi is equally committed to streamlining gait analysis technology for aligning prosthetics and orthotics. “The current state of the art in smaller clinics is a prosthetist or clinician watching the patient walk,” explains Dr. Esquenazi. “Results are subjective and inconsistent – clinician experience and patient subjectivity are just two of many variables.”

In a multi-year effort, Dr. Esquenazi’s team developed a comprehensive gait analysis protocol to evaluate alignment with multiple computer-based assessment tools such as infrared sensors that track movement in space within a tolerance of a few millimeters in the field of view.

The team is refining the protocol to distill the most critical steps and develop compact instruments to duplicate the technology used at the gait lab in a clinic. These instruments include an innovative treadmill with independent belts and speed settings for each leg and a force platform that records exactly how a walking person’s foot interacts with the surface. Esquenazi’s goal is to facilitate gait lab development in institutions with smaller spaces and fewer resources, yielding more precise treatments for more people.