Extract - Many clinicians and bioengineers confuse gait analysis and gait assessment. Gait analysis is the detailed examination of how a patient walks, whereas gait assessment is the clinical assessment of a patient with a gait disorder (Rose, 1983). Any clinical assessment, whether the problem is a gait abnormality or gallstones, requires three types of information - history, physical examination and special investigations - followed by a careful consideration of all the factors. The special investigations in a gait disorder may well include some form of gait analysis, but may also involve other investigations, such as x-rays and serum biochemistry.