3D Gait Run Analysis

THE ATOMIC PERFORMANCE LAB

See your running like never before. Using the RunDNA Helix 3D system, we measure exactly how you move, then build the plan to run more efficiently, stay healthy, and perform at your best. Boulder's only 3D running gait analysis.

Every runner moves differently, and small inefficiencies in how you move can quietly cost you energy or contribute to injury. 3D gait analysis takes the guesswork out of understanding your running. In our Atomic Performance Lab, we use the RunDNA Helix 3D system, which combines three-dimensional motion capture with specialized software to build a precise, objective picture of your running mechanics.

Rather than a single-camera video or a trained eye watching from the side, 3D capture measures how your body actually moves through space as you run. The result is a clear breakdown of your stride and a personalized plan for what to work on. It's led by Dr. Emily Hill, our run specialist, so the data always turns into practical, expert guidance.

Launch Promo

20% off your 3D Gait Evaluation

This summer only, get 20% off your 3D gait evaluation at the Atomic Performance Lab. Every evaluation booked in July and August qualifies. Boulder's only 3D running gait analysis.

Claim Your 20% Off

Offer applies to the 3D gait evaluation booked in July and August. Discount is applied in session, and your card is not charged until after your appointment.

What is it?

Every runner moves differently, and small inefficiencies in how you move can quietly cost you energy or contribute to injury. 3D gait analysis takes the guesswork out of understanding your running.

In our Atomic Performance Lab, we use the RunDNA Helix 3D system, which combines three-dimensional motion capture with specialized software to build a precise, objective picture of your running mechanics. Rather than a single-camera video or a trained eye watching from the side, 3D capture measures how your body actually moves through space as you run.

The result is a clear breakdown of your stride and a personalized plan for what to work on. It's led by Dr. Emily Hill, our run specialist, so the data always turns into practical, expert guidance.

Welcome to The Atomic Performance Lab

A purpose built space for performance

The Atomic Performance Lab is our dedicated home for running analysis, co-located at Rocky Mountain Regenerative Medicine in central Boulder, just off Pearl Street. It's a genuine performance environment built for athletes and active adults, not a treatment room with a camera in the corner.

Inside, you'll find a state-of-the-art Wahoo Kickr Run treadmill paired with a multi-camera capture setup for true 3D gait analysis, plus the full equipment, table, and tools for rehab, recovery, and strength testing all in one place. It's where the science of running meets real, individualized coaching, and it's the only setup of its kind in Boulder.

And we're just getting started. Performance testing, including lactate and VO2 max testing, is coming soon.

What happens in your analysis

  • Your goals and your running

    Your analysis is a comprehensive 90-minute session, part assessment, part coaching, built entirely around you. We start by understanding you: your training, your goals, the races you're aiming for, and what you want from your running.

  • Objective testing

    Beyond watching you run, we measure. Strength testing and other objective assessments help us understand not just how you move, but why, so we can find the true source of what we see.

  • 3D gait capture and live coaching

    Using the RunDNA Helix system, we capture your mechanics in three dimensions while you run. This isn't a passive scan. Dr. Hill coaches you in real time, testing cues and adjustments on the spot so you feel the changes as they happen.

  • Your report and drills program

    You leave with a personalized analysis report documenting your results, plus a RunDNA drills program matched to your runner type, so you know exactly what to work on and why.

You’ll benefit from our 3D Gait Analysis if…

  • You're coming back from injury

    Returning too fast on the same faulty mechanics is how people get hurt again. We objectively assess how you're moving so you come back with confidence, not guesswork.

  • You're chasing a goal

    Consistent, injury-free training is the foundation of every personal best. We help you move more efficiently and break down less, so you can train harder and more consistently.

  • You're tired of the same injury coming back

    If a problem keeps flaring up, the answer is often in how you move. We pinpoint the mechanics behind the pattern so you can finally address the cause, not just rehab the symptom again.

  • Your stride doesn't work at every pace

    Your gait changes with your speed, and many runners feel smooth at one pace but stuck at another. Whether easy runs feel heavy or faster paces feel strained, we show you what's happening and how to run well across the board.

  • You're training for your first marathon

    Big goals mean big mileage, and that's exactly when hidden form issues surface. We help you build toward the start line on a stride that can handle the load.

  • You train on data, not guesswork

    If you track everything and want real answers about your body, this is the missing piece. We replace assumptions about your form with precise, objective measurement.

Backed by the science

  • Reduce impact loading

    Increasing your cadence by a modest amount, often around 5 to 10 percent, can reduce the loading forces that travel through your body with each step. Those forces are associated with several common running injuries. Researchers describe this evidence as moderate, and it's one of the better-supported findings in the field.

  • Real-time feedback makes it stick

    Studies consistently show that live feedback on your movement, gradually reduced over time, helps runners learn and keep new patterns. This "faded feedback" approach is exactly what a 3D-guided program provides. It's a key reason structured retraining works better than simply being told to run differently.

  • A person wearing glasses and a face mask pointing at a brain MRI scan on a lightbox, with other MRI images visible in the background.

    Every analysis is different

    The research is clear that there's no single fix for every runner or every injury. The most effective approach is tailored to your specific mechanics and your specific goals. That's the whole point of measuring you precisely before changing anything.

  • Fewer injuries, especially at the knee

    Improving how you move can reduce the mechanical patterns linked to injury, with the strongest evidence around knee-related pain. For runners, fewer breakdowns mean fewer interruptions. It's one of the most practical reasons to understand your stride.

  • The path to performance

    Research hasn't shown that changing your gait makes you faster on its own. But the link to performance is real and well understood: staying healthy and efficient lets you train harder and more consistently, and consistent training is what builds speed. That's the honest performance path, and it's the one we help you unlock.

OUR PROGRAMS

  • CATALYST

    For the healthy runner who wants their form analyzed and improved. Our most gait-focused program, with three follow-up sessions. No physical therapy, just pure form work.

  • ELEMENT

    Adds hands-on physical therapy for runners fixing something or building resilience, with a gait follow-up, PT sessions, and a home exercise program.

  • CORE

    Combines gait work with an 8-week physical therapy plan, for runners who want structured, hands-on support.

  • PLATINUM

    Our most complete program: gait analysis, a 16-week PT plan, a bespoke strength program, and a run coach evaluation.

Full comparison
Included Catalyst Element Core Platinum
3D gait evaluation (90 min) YesYesYesYes
Analysis report YesYesYesYes
In-session gait recommendations YesYesYesYes
RunDNA drills program YesYesYesYes
Gait follow-up sessions 3122
Physical therapy sessions 246
Lite home exercises (1x/week) Yes
8-week PT program (2x/week) Yes
16-week PT program (2x/week) Yes
Bespoke strength program Yes
Run coach evaluation Yes
10% off extra follow-ups YesYesYesYes
10% off add-ons YesYesYesYes
Price $895$825$1,350$1,950

Catalyst is a dedicated form-focused track, not the entry rung of a rehab ladder, which is why it carries the most gait follow-ups and sits apart from the physical therapy programs.

Why Atomic

  • Boulder's only 3D gait analysis

    Atomic is the only place in Boulder offering this level of three-dimensional running analysis.

  • Led by a run specialist

    Your analysis is performed and interpreted by Dr. Emily Hill, so the technology is paired with genuine running and clinical expertise.

  • Performance and PT under one roof

    Because we're both a physical therapy practice and a coaching team, your gait findings connect directly to treatment, strength work, and coaching.

Running is a skill

Here's something most runners never consider: running is one of the only sports where people only ever train, piling on the miles, without ever practicing the actual skill of running. Imagine a basketball team whose only practice was playing full games, never drilling the fundamentals.

But your form is a skill, and like any skill, it can be measured, taught, and improved. When your movement is efficient, the force of each step is distributed smoothly. When it isn't, that force concentrates in a few places, which is where inefficiency and injury tend to begin.

Understanding your own stride is the first step to running better.

Not all gait analysis is equal

Running mechanics can be assessed several ways, and they are not created equal. 2D video is what most clinics and running stores use: a phone or camera filming you on a treadmill. It can hint at issues, but a single flat angle can't reliably measure the actual angles and rotations of your joints. It's best thought of as a qualitative snapshot, useful, but limited.

3D motion capture, the technology we use through the RunDNA Helix system, measures your movement in three dimensions, capturing the real positions and angles of your joints throughout your stride with a level of precision that 2D simply can't reach. The difference matters. It's the difference between guessing at what's wrong and measuring exactly what to change.

Get started with a free Atomic PT consultation

Ready to see what your stride is really doing?