Functional Gait Assessment Level 1
Functional Gait Assessment Level 1
This course is designed for health care practitioners interested in seeking advanced knowledge and understanding of lower extremity biomechanics in the gait cycle, as well as specific assessment strategies for the lower quarter with the purpose of restoring function, eliminating pain and normalizing gait for musculoskeletal patients.
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Venue
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Calgary, AB
June 13-14, 2026
8:00 - 5:00 (subject to change)
VENUE: TBD
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Vancouver, BC
October 24-25, 2026
8:00 - 5:00 (subject to change)
VENUE: TBD
An evidence based, systematic approach to elevate your skills and patient outcomes
Ever struggled to diagnose a tricky patient presentation?
You know the cases. The ones where you’ve tried everything you can think of and still your assessments are just too generic to get to the root cause of their pain.
Your training, experience and expertise are telling you that your assessment criteria just doesn’t cater for the intricate differences and individual needs to your patient’s lower extremity complaints.
Especially when you come across tough cases that don’t present or respond as you’ve been taught they “should”.
Ensuring you have the most robust set of assessments possible is absolutely essential if you want to handle even the most complex of cases.
The best clinicians have the best assessments in their toolkits
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16 hours
of in-person, advanced, professional training
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Specific assessment techniques
for identifying lower extremity dysfunction
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20:1
student to instructor ratio
The Outline
Day 1
You’ll learn a systematic, step-by-step approach to assess gait mechanics. You’ll gain the confidence to identify both normal gait parameters AND aberrant patterns in the human gait cycle. There will be lectures, case studies, interactive lab sessions and much more..
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Day 1 Hour-by-hour
8:00 - 9:00 AM The Evolution and Importance of Walking
9:00 - 9:15 AM Taking a Thorough History and Asking the Hard Questions
9:15 - 9:30 AM Morning Break
9:30 - 10:30 AM The Big Picture of Gait Assessment - Lecture and Lab
10:30 - 12:00 PM Assessing the Foot and Ankle in Motion - Lecture and Lab
12:00 - 1:00 PM Lunch Break
1:00 - 2:30 PM Assessing the Leg in Motion - Lecture and Lab
2:30 - 3:45 PM Assessing the Torso/Abdomen in Motion - Lecture and Lab
3:45 - 4:00 PM Afternoon Break
4:00 - 5:00 PM Pathological Gait Patterns - Lecture and Sample Case Studies
Day 2
You’ll dive deeper into specific assessment strategies for the forefoot, midfoot, rearfoot, ankle, hip, spine, and posterior chain. You’ll also learn to identify common congenital defects and their implications in the gait cycle. Each part of day two will have a hands-on laboratory session to practice assessment techniques amongst participants.
Collapsible content
Day 2 Hour-by-hour
8:00 - 10:00 AM Forefoot: Static Posture, Palpation, Dynamic Assessment
10:00 - 10:15 AM Morning Break
10:15 -11:30 AM Midfoot and Rearfoot: Static Posture, Palpation, Dynamic Assessment
11:30 - 12:30 PM Lunch Break
12:30 - 1:45 PM Knee and Hip: Static Posture, Palpation, Dynamic Assessment
1:45 - 3:00 PM Core & Spine: Static Posture, Palpation, Dynamic Assessment
3:00 - 3:15 PM Afternoon Break
3:15 - 5:00 PM Case Studies
Individual case studies will be incorporated throughout the weekend course. These may be individuals from the course or studies designed by the instructors.
Course Objectives
1. Participants will develop improved competence from taking a patient history.
2. Participants will assess gait mechanics, identifying normal gait parameters as well as aberrant patterns in the human gait cycle.
3. Participants will learn to identify pathological gait patterns.
4. Participants will assess the lower quarter through postural assessment, palpation, and dynamic orthopedic testing.
5. Participants will identify common lower quarter dysfunctions.
Who This Course Is For
It is recommended that participants hold a certification or degree of higher education including but not limited to Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Chiropractic, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, or Certified Athletic Trainer.
Instructor
Dr. Megan Drewes
Dr. Drewes has overcome some of her own gait and running related injuries, which allowed her to find passion in helping others with gait and lower extremity needs. She believes in treating each person as an individual and looking at their system as a whole.
Dr. Drewes knows the importance of movement as medicine to keep the body and mind healthy. Dr. Megan Drewes holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of Toledo where she ran collegiate cross country and track. She then went on to complete her doctoral degree in physical therapy from the University of Toledo. Dr. Drewes owns Drewes PT in Defiance, Ohio, an out-of-network physical therapy clinic specializing in foot, ankle, and gait biomechanics. Dr. Drewes is excited to help get you back to moving and doing the things you love!
Dr. Emily Schilling
Dr. Emily Schilling began her career in the medical field at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she graduated with a double major in Neurology and Nutritional Science.
From there, she continued on to receive her Doctorate of Chiropractic and Master's in Functional Nutrition from Parker University in Dallas, TX.
Dr. Schilling has always enjoyed being athletic and has participated in a number of sports throughout her life. Some of these include track and field, volleyball, and gymnastics. Currently, she is heavily involved in the triathlon community and has competed in multiple half Ironmans and recently finished her first full Ironman in Wisconsin '22.
Given her participation in high level sports, she understands the need for quality assessments of pain, targeted exercises and care based on the individual. In specific, she places an emphasis on the lower extremity and gait patterns. After sustaining a number of running related injuries, she wanted to know not only why they kept occurring but also how to treat and ultimately prevent them. After years of research and continuation in the sport, she has a wealth of knowledge that she would love to share with you! Her main goal is to show people that they can reach their goals in whatever activity they love. By looking at the body as a whole, her ambition is to create smart, sustainable changes in the system that not only allow people to complete those tough workouts, but also keep the longevity.
Apart from sports, Dr. Schilling also loves nutrition. Growing up as a type 1 diabetic, this was, and still is, her world. She is currently pursuing her license to become a Certified Nutrition Specialist. If you ever feel like chatting about race or training fueling recommendations, her door is always open!
No matter if you're a weekend warrior or a professional level athlete; young or mature; just starting out, or years into a sport, Dr. Schilling is here to help!
