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Running injury guide · Updated September 2026

Achilles Tendinopathy Gait Analysis

Achilles tendinopathy shows up as stiffness first thing in the morning, tenderness a few centimetres above the heel, and a tendon that complains after faster or hillier sessions. It's among the most commonly recorded running injuries (Kakouris et al., 2021).

The tendon is a spring. It stores force as you land and releases it as you push off. It gets irritated when the stride asks it to store more than it can currently tolerate, more often than it can recover. That's a load question before it's a strength question, and the load depends on how you land and how long you stay on the ground.

This page covers what GaitLab Coach looks for when you flag Achilles pain, and one thing it deliberately won't tell you to do.

Pain: back of the heel, along the tendon
Best view: side
Goal: less tendon load per step

What to notice first

A foot that lands well ahead of the hips has to be pulled back under the body before push-off, which lengthens ground contact and asks the calf and tendon to work through a longer range. A low cadence has the same effect: fewer, longer steps, each with more time on the ground.

Foot strike matters less than the internet debate suggests. Switching to a forefoot landing shifts load off the knee and onto the calf and Achilles (LER foot-strike review). For a runner whose tendon is already irritated, that is the wrong direction. GaitLab Coach won't coach you onto your forefoot when you've flagged Achilles pain.

Fatigue is part of the picture too. A stride that looks fine at the start of a run can collapse forward at the waist and get slower off the ground late on, when the tendon is already tired.

  • Morning stiffness that eases as you walk around
  • Soreness that rises after speed work, hills, or a sudden increase in volume
  • A tendon that feels worse late in long runs, when form tends to deteriorate

What the video shows

Ground contact time

Longer stance means more time loading the tendon on every stride. Visible as a foot that lingers before push-off.

Landing position

A foot far ahead of the hip line lengthens contact and adds braking. Shortening stride length lowers impact loading (stride length and impact review).

Foot strike

Read as one input, not a target. A heel landing under the hips is fine; a forced forefoot strike adds tendon load.

Cadence and lean

A 5–10% cadence increase shortens stride and contact time without hurting economy (Sports Health, 2025). A slight lean from the ankles, not the waist, helps.

What GaitLab Coach does with it

Flag Achilles pain before recording and the analysis weights its findings toward the mechanics that change tendon demand. It also applies a contraindication: the plan won't include drills that push you toward a forefoot strike or add plyometric calf load early.

The 4-week plan for an Achilles case typically pairs a small cadence bump with a landing-position cue, and adds slow eccentric calf work. That's a focused progression rather than a form rebuild, which is what the retraining literature supports (Bramah et al., JOSPT 2022).

  • Findings ranked by tendon load, so foot strike doesn't get flagged as a problem in isolation
  • Drills screened against the injury you flagged
  • Re-film at the end of the plan and compare contact time and landing position, not how it felt

When form isn't the culprit

Achilles pain is often a training-load story: a jump in speed work, hills, or volume, or a switch to lower-drop shoes without time to adapt. Form work doesn't rescue a reckless build. A tendon that is swollen, has a palpable lump, hurts sharply, or gave way suddenly needs a clinician before anything else. GaitLab Coach flags movement patterns linked to overuse risk; it can't assess the tendon itself.

Achilles Tendinopathy FAQ

Can a phone video help with Achilles pain in runners?

It can show the patterns that change tendon load: how long your foot stays on the ground, where it lands relative to your hips, your cadence, and where your lean comes from. Those are the coachable variables. It can't measure tendon load directly.

Should I switch to a forefoot strike for Achilles pain?

No. A forefoot landing moves load onto the calf and Achilles. If the tendon is already irritated, that adds to the problem. Work on landing position and cadence and let foot strike follow.

How does flagging Achilles pain change the plan?

The findings are ranked by tendon demand and the drill list is screened for that injury. You won't get hill sprints or forefoot cues in week one.

Check the mechanics behind the tendon load

Record your run, flag Achilles pain, and get the load-related patterns ranked in order, with drills screened for the tendon. Free to start. The full report, with the 1–10 score, timestamped findings, and 4-week plan, is a one-time $4.99 unlock.

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