To fill out the JAKC Observational Gait Analysis Form, complete the patient header at the top, then work down the grid one body segment at a time — trunk, pelvis, hip, knee, ankle, and toes — marking each deviation in the cell that matches the gait sub-phase where you see it, and finish with the stride characteristics at the bottom of the page. The form is designed to be completed in real time while the patient walks in front of you, not reconstructed from memory afterward, so the setup you do before the first pass matters as much as the marks you make on the paper.
Set Up Before You Start Marking
You need a clinical space that lets you watch the patient from more than one angle. Observational gait analysis requires at least a sagittal (side) view and a frontal (front or behind) view, because many deviations only appear in one plane. Give the patient roughly eight to ten meters of unobstructed walking space so they can reach a steady pattern before you begin recording. Shorter walkways force so much acceleration and deceleration that you end up documenting transitions rather than gait.
Have the patient wear shorts so the knees, ankles, and hips are visible. Observe both with and without shoes, and if the patient uses an orthosis, watch them walk with it on and off when clinically appropriate. Good overhead lighting is important. Shadows across the lower extremities can hide subtle findings like a mild knee hyperextension or a slight pelvic drop. Give the patient a few passes before you start marking, because many people unconsciously clean up their gait when they first realize they are being watched.
Complete the Header Fields
Start at the top of the form. The header captures the context a later reader will need to interpret what you recorded:
- Patient Name — full legal name matching the medical record.
- DOB — date of birth.
- Medical Dx — the referring diagnosis, for example “left CVA” or “right TKA.”
- Onset — when the condition began or when the surgery occurred.
- Orthotic/Prosthetic/AD — any assistive device the patient uses, such as a cane, walker, ankle-foot orthosis, or prosthetic limb. This field is critical because devices change gait mechanics, and anyone reviewing the form later needs to know what the patient was using during the observation.
- Examiner — your name and credentials.
- Reference Limb — the side you are primarily analyzing, typically the involved or more affected limb.
Write the date of the examination. Every gait analysis is a snapshot, and without a date the form loses its value for tracking progress across visits. If your version of the form doesn’t have a pre-printed date field, write it in next to your name.
Understand the Grid Before You Fill It
The main body of the form is a grid. Rows represent anatomical segments — trunk, pelvis, hip, knee, ankle, and toes — moving from the top of the body downward. Columns divide the gait cycle into stance phase (foot on the ground) and swing phase (foot in the air), and within each division into sub-phases: initial contact, loading response, midstance, terminal stance, pre-swing, initial swing, midswing, and terminal swing. Each cell corresponds to one body segment during one specific moment in the cycle.
Work the Grid Segment by Segment
Don’t try to watch everything at once. Focus on the trunk first, then move to the pelvis, hip, knee, ankle, and toes in order. For each segment, watch several passes and note what happens during each sub-phase. Deviations you may be recording include:
- Trunk — lateral lean, forward flexion, or backward lean during stance.
- Pelvis — contralateral drop (Trendelenburg sign), excessive hiking, or limited rotation.
- Hip — inadequate extension at terminal stance, circumduction during swing, or limited flexion at initial swing.
- Knee — hyperextension at midstance, insufficient flexion during loading response, or limited extension at terminal swing.
- Ankle — foot slap at initial contact, excessive plantarflexion during swing, or insufficient dorsiflexion at midswing.
- Toes — clawing during stance, inadequate extension during swing, or dragging.
Mark each deviation in the cell that matches the body segment and the sub-phase where you see it. The form provides space for brief codes rather than narrative sentences, so use descriptive shorthand. Be specific about direction and magnitude. “Decreased hip extension” is more useful than a bare checkmark. Record findings for both the right and left sides, even if one limb is the primary concern, because the opposite limb often develops compensatory patterns that matter for treatment planning.
Decide What a Blank Cell Means
The most common mistake clinicians make on this form is leaving cells blank without deciding whether the blank means “normal” or “not observed.” Pick a convention and apply it consistently. Writing “WNL” (within normal limits) in cells that look normal is one straightforward approach. A reviewer looking at the form months later shouldn’t have to guess whether a blank cell means you found nothing abnormal or just didn’t look at that segment during that sub-phase.
Fill in the Stride Characteristics
Below the main grid, the form includes fields for stride-level measurements that capture the overall quality of the gait pattern beyond individual joint findings:
- Step length — the distance from one heel strike to the opposite heel strike. Note whether right and left step lengths are symmetrical.
- Stride length — the distance from one heel strike to the next heel strike of the same foot.
- Cadence — steps per minute. Count steps over a timed interval and multiply.
- Stride width — the lateral distance between the feet, measured from midline to midline.
- Gait speed — distance covered divided by time.
You don’t need instrumented equipment for these in an observational context. A tape measure on the floor, a stopwatch, and a few strips of masking tape to mark heel-strike positions will give you clinically useful numbers. If you plan to compare results across visits, use the same walkway and the same measurement method each time.
Who Signs the Completed Form
Observational gait analysis is a component of the physical therapy examination, so it falls under the scope of the licensed physical therapist. Under the American Physical Therapy Association’s guidance on direction and supervision, only the physical therapist performs the initial examination and reexamination.1American Physical Therapy Association. Direction and Supervision of the Physical Therapist Assistant A physical therapist assistant may assist in collecting selected examination data, but the PT is responsible for interpreting the findings, establishing the plan of care, and signing the completed form.
Where to Get the Form If You Don’t Already Have It
The JAKC form is not distributed through a government agency and isn’t freely available on a public portal. It appears as Appendix A in the textbook Observational Gait Analysis: A Visual Guide, developed by Jan Adams and Kay Cerny at California State University, Northridge, and California State University, Long Beach. Clinicians typically access it as a printed copy from the appendix, a digital version on an institutional clinical resource site, or a PDF shared through a university or professional education program. If your clinic doesn’t stock it, check with your department’s education coordinator or contact the textbook publisher. Recent graduates of entry-level rehabilitation programs often already have a copy in their files.