Leg Length Discrepancy - do you ?

[ASTANA]

 

In most of us or all of us legs and other ligaments differ in length. For some this never results in a issue - like pain and other injuries. For others this can be quite tricky and requires built up shoes or shims underneath to compensate and align both legs again.

 

- and no you can't just set the seat height for the shorter leg - the longer leg will feel the effect of to low saddle.

 

I am looking at different ways to compensate for this problem. on road shoes this is much easier, but what to do on MTB shoes ? The cleat part is more into the shoe - thus very difficult to insert a spacer there.

 

after lots of leg pain - on the side of the knee and many hours of fisio later, the conclusion is the one leg (left) is a tat shorter than my right leg. So not ITB issues just the effect of the leg overstreaching and resulting in knee rotation which generate the pain midway into my ride and lots of pain and stiffness afterwards.

 

 

 

any thoughts ?

 

ASTANA2009-05-16 06:03:08

[Sean Badenhorst]

 

Go see a kinesiologist. They'll balance you by building up your innersoles (which you can transfer between road and MTB shoes) with telephone directory pages. May sound weird, but it definitely works!

 

 

 

Sean Badenhorst2009-05-16 06:09:01

[ASTANA]

 

[ASTANA]

Ja I know the telephone directory page thing. Going to do the BG fit from specialized in a few weeks and build up my shoe with insoles and shims. Want this to be 100% correct. been having the problem for way too long.

 

Leg length can be fixed on Speedplay pedals - they have shims which you put between the cleat and the shoe. on MTB I will use a buitup inside the shoe - there is more space there. My sidi road shoes fit too lekka to mess the fit up

 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Doesn't affect me at all. It could be, though, that I am blissfully unaware of any detrimental effects...

 

Anyway, my spesh BG shoes are awesome.... had them for 6 years, lasted 4 London winters, 2 CT winters and still oing strong!

 

[Sean Badenhorst]

 

Ja I know the telephone directory page thing. Going to do the BG fit from specialized in a few weeks and build up my shoe with insoles and shims. Want this to be 100% correct. been having the problem for way too long.

 

Leg length can be fixed on Speedplay pedals - they have shims which you put between the cleat and the shoe. on MTB I will use a buitup inside the shoe - there is more space there. My sidi road shoes fit too lekka to mess the fit up

 

 

If you want it to be 100% correct, see a kinesiologist. You body changes constantly which they can pick that up and make the relevant changes. Usually by removing (or adding) one or more pages. Amazingly, the thicknes of one telephone directory page can make a difference.

 

 

 

 

[ASTANA]

and how will the paper stand the CT winter and MTBing ? water and paper don't mix ??

[Sean Badenhorst]

 

and how will the paper stand the CT winter and MTBing ? water and paper don't mix ??

 

The paper is covered by tape. It holds out well between visits.

 

 

 

 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

 

 

Sean, i think the correct term is "Kinesthesiologist"

 

 

Edit - No, sorry - 2 different branches of the movement of the human body.

 

Kinesiologist - Analyses the Movement & positioning of the human body

 

Kinesthesiologist - Analyses the positioning and interaction of the muscles & joints in the human body, as well as the movement thereof

 

My mistake.

 

 

cptmayhem2009-05-16 06:40:24

[John H]

Go see Jeroen Swart at Sports Science institute in Newlands. He set my mtn bike cleat slightly back on my one foot. I have a 9mm difference leg length diff.

 

I had already had a full body scan to measure the bones and the podiatrist had made special inserts. These were heel based so couldn't really have worked.

 

[PPWTF]

 

Go see Jeroen Swart at Sports Science institute in Newlands. He set my mtn bike cleat slightly back on my one foot. I have a 9mm difference leg length diff.

 

I had already had a full body scan to measure the bones and the podiatrist had made special inserts. These were heel based so couldn't really have worked.

 

 

Full body scan is the way ahead if you're seriously concerned about set up and/or biomechanical issues.

 

It's is the only way to actually tell if the discrepancy is 'real' or if a joint has simply become 'compacted' (non technical description)

 

Eg. Hip joint; the head of your femur becoming withdrawn further up into the pelvis  as a result of (for example) excessive muscular tightness/contraction, resulting in a biomechanical issue such as perceived leg length discrepancy.

 

Muscular imbalances then potentially lead to a variety of potentially long term issue, as the body finds compensatory ways to continue working.... (I'm no sports science guru, but that's how it was explained to me by a guy who really knew his stuff)

 

[ASTANA]

My best guess is that the problem/ discrepancy in my case is in the lower part of the leg - left leg. Between my knee and my foot somewhere there is a issue. The reason I know this is that I have a study  table at home and my one leg fits easily under the table while sitting on a chair, but the longer right leg struggles to sit underneath the table - scratches under the table.

 

I might be blowing this up a bit - but you know what I mean.

 

   

[wheelz]

my right leg is 1cm longer than my left leg. Its always affected me. I go see a biokineticist every now and again to help correct it. I do certain exercises every day to lengthen the muscles in my right leg otherwise I suffer from very bad ITB problems. Iv got a pair of specialised inner souls in all my shoes which really makes a difference-i have to have two souls in my left shoe to help compensate the length difference.