Overview
Sentinel condenses complex gait data into an understandable score. Here's what goes into it, what it means, and — importantly — what it doesn't mean.
Modern gait analysis produces dozens of parameters — speed, cadence, symmetry, variability, support times. To make this useful at a glance, Sentinel condenses them into a walk score: a single number that summarizes your mobility relative to your own baseline and reference ranges.
What moves the score? Walking speed is a major contributor, as it's among the most studied gait parameters in health research. Consistency matters too — steps that vary a lot in timing or length tend to lower the score, as does asymmetry between left and right. The score reflects patterns across assessments, so a single unusual walk carries less weight than a sustained trend.
What does a change mean? A declining trend is a signal for review, not a diagnosis. Many things influence walking — footwear, fatigue, a new medication, an ache, mood — and a qualified clinician interprets the trend in your full context. Likewise, an improving score during rehabilitation is encouraging objective evidence, best interpreted alongside your care team's assessment.
The most useful way to think about your walk score: it's your mobility made visible. It gives you and your care team a shared, objective reference point for conversations that used to rely entirely on 'how do you feel you're walking?'
Key Takeaways
- The score condenses speed, symmetry, and consistency into one number
- Trends matter more than any single assessment
- A declining score is a signal for clinical review, not a diagnosis
- It creates a shared, objective reference for care conversations