Purpose

Walking asymmetry generally manifests itself in the form of a limp. There are other ways that a person's walk could theoretically be "asymmetrical," especially through our rather imprecise system of measurement, but most of the time your walk would be considered asymmetric if and only if you were limping. It goes without saying that limping is generally an indicator that there are physical problems with someone. A healthy gait can generally only come about if all of the muscles within a person’s leg are all cooperating to make transitioning from leg to leg as regular as possible.

Limps can come about in a few ways. Direct injury is the most common culprit, but the more hidden cause often comes in the form of diseases, like osteoarthritis. Arthritis comes in many shapes and forms, and it's easy to misdiagnose or minimize the problem as a symptom of stress.

Limps can gradually worsen, and when someone has been limping for an extended period of time, it can be easy to mentally ignore that it is occurring. This increases the danger that this person never receives treatment.