Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement

Walking. Moving. Better.

At the Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement, children and adults with mobility limitations, spinal conditions, neuromuscular disorders and congenital and acquired limb conditions have access to in-depth analysis of their gait and motion.

We provide extensive personal mobility assessments and a comprehensive consultation with orthopedic surgery, physical medicine, neurosurgery and physical therapy experts to craft customized care plans for each patient. Together, we create a path toward enhanced motion — even for patients with complex mobility issues.

Coupled with Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s many mobility-related resources, from neuromuscular clinical trials to advanced physical therapy and rehabilitation services, the Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement helps connect patients with the full spectrum of needed care for enhancing mobility and avoiding injury.

We are located in the Dublin Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center and offer appointments by referral five days a week.

What We Do

Care Team

Conditions and Treatments

At the Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement, we use state-of-the-art computer technology and a team of medical experts to help kids and adults walk and move better.

Our equipment is used to provide detailed information about how patients walk, where they place their weight, how their spine moves, how fluid their motions are, how their muscles work and where there may be opportunities to improve.

We combine a thorough physical assessment with video and muscle analysis and an expert team discussion to present all of our patients with an in-depth look at their movements and their options for treatment. A full assessment takes up to three hours.

Leading Technology

Our unique partnership with Honda has allowed us to purchase the most advanced motion analysis equipment. Coupled with our mobility experts from several disciplines, the Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement offers a combination of technology and expertise rarely found in pediatric motion analysis programs.

Our technology includes:

Tiny stick-on dots and other stickers placed on the body
Video cameras to track the tiny markers and generate information about how the body moves
Pressure plates that record which parts of the foot support weight and whether abnormalities exist
Force plates that measure the changes in force generated by walking
A metabolic cart, used to check how much energy is used to walk
Computers that our engineers use to review the data from our equipment and to share the visual information about gait and mobility with our clinical team

After a thorough physical therapy assessment and motion analysis, we discuss a wide range of treatment options. Depending on your selected treatment, we will work with you to provide physical therapy and rehabilitation, surgical care or other services.

Advanced Research

Having the best equipment and a talented, dedicated team of clinical experts makes research an obvious choice for our program. The Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement studies how to improve patient outcomes after interventions, how to advance mobility options and how to improve the approach to surgery. Clinical team members also study spine motion. When the Center adds its sports analysis capabilities, research will include how to improve technique and performance for athletes with and without limb deformities, deficiencies and adaptive technologies.

Our diverse, skilled medical team works together to review the video and data from the gait analysis. By bringing together experts from several medical fields, each patient receives a well-rounded evaluation of the likely physical causes and effects of their mobility problems. Patient families can also discuss a variety of proposed treatments with the team’s experts in those fields.

The Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement includes clinicians from the following specialties:

Meet Our Team

We understand that a care plan has to be as unique as the patient. That’s why the medical team at the Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement offers each patient a wide range of treatments, balancing out surgical solutions with non-invasive options.

After discussing the results of the mobility assessment and the range of options for improving mobility, you can work with the clinical care team to choose your path forward.

Treatment options may include:

Physical therapy and occupational therapy, both at home and at Nationwide Children’s
Inpatient physical rehabilitation
Bracing
Prosthetics and orthotics
Orthopedic surgery
Neurosurgery, including selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) for spasticity
Muscle Botulinum toxin
Serial casting
Static and dynamic interventions
Behavioral therapy

Pre- and Post-Operative Evaluation

Gait analysis can be very useful for patients who do require or plan to have surgery. Orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons who are part of the Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement staff can use the motion analysis results to better understand how to approach the surgery.

In addition, getting another assessment after surgery can help patients and their doctors understand what has changed. Post-surgery evaluations can also show whether follow-up surgery or other treatments are needed to further improve gait.

Referrals and Resources

Nationwide Children’s Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement offers seamless referrals to the appropriate clinical teams for carrying out each patient’s chosen care plan. Many of our departments offering these treatments rank among the nation’s best.

Depending on the underlying condition and selected therapies, you may follow up with: