Cycling With One Leg Longer Than The Other

Someone. said:

I think that I have finally figured out the reason for some of my knee
problems while cycling and also the reason behind my chronic lower
back pain.

I think that I have one leg longer than the other! I can see this
pretty readily while seated on the bike My left heel goes noticeably
further down at the bottom of the pedal stroke than the right heel.
The saddle should be keeping my pelvis level which removes any tilt
from the picture so this should give a good relative idea of the
difference.

This also helps to explain my nearly chronic "facet" lower back pain
which occurs only on the left side like my pelvis is permanently
tilted while walking. I have had this pretty much continually for
about the past 10 years, since I was about 40. I pretty much manage it
by staying flexible which cycling and stretching seems to help.

Years ago I went to several doctors for my back problems. They could
find nothing wrong and prescribed the usual stretching and
strengthening exercises which didn't seem to help much if at all.

So I guess my question to the group is to solicit advice from others
who might have the same issue and ask for ways to make a positive
diagnosis and how to correct this for cycling and other activities.

Nobody can make a "positive diagnosis" of anything on the Internet, but
I do have some suggestions for dealing with your issue on the Web at:

http://sheldonbrown.com/cranks

Sheldon "Asymmetry" Brown
Santa Cruz, California
+----------------------------------------------------+
| War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. |
| -Ambrose Bierce |
+----------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Steve Sr. said:

So I guess my question to the group is to solicit advice from others
who might have the same issue and ask for ways to make a positive
diagnosis and how to correct this for cycling and other activities.

Thanks for your insight and suggestions.

First off, don't guess at things- find a competent orthopedic doctor
who can diagnose the condition. There's a number of things that can
affect apparent leg length, and it's not always a skeletal problem.
Here's a basic discussion:
http://www.orthoseek.com/articles/leglength.html

FWIW: My right leg is ½ inch shorter than my left. Aside from a
tendency to run around in circles, this hasn't affected me much. I've
had walking shoes modified to make up for the discrepancy, but they
haven't helped me much. None of my current shoes (walking, running, or
cycling) are modified for leg extension, but that's because I'm cheap
and I haven't spent the time to track down someone who'll do this
properly.

Jeff

Get yourself to a chiropodist/podiatrist and tell him your woes.

The easiest way for ME to demonstrate that my left leg is shorter than
my right is to stand in front of a mirror and observe that my belt is
not parallel to the floor.

Its been over ten years since I broke my leg and, at first, I tried
lifts' in my shoe to compensate for the half inch of difference but
found that was more hassle than it was worth.

I am now 66, car free for 2 years, running several times per week and
have not had any back or leg problems.

Lewis.

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I think that I have finally figured out the reason for some of my knee
problems while cycling and also the reason behind my chronic lower
back pain.

I think that I have one leg longer than the other! I can see this
pretty readily while seated on the bike My left heel goes noticeably
further down at the bottom of the pedal stroke than the right heel.
The saddle should be keeping my pelvis level which removes any tilt
from the picture so this should give a good relative idea of the
difference.

This also helps to explain my nearly chronic "facet" lower back pain
which occurs only on the left side like my pelvis is permanently
tilted while walking. I have had this pretty much continually for
about the past 10 years, since I was about 40. I pretty much manage it
by staying flexible which cycling and stretching seems to help.

Years ago I went to several doctors for my back problems. They could
find nothing wrong and prescribed the usual stretching and
strengthening exercises which didn't seem to help much if at all.

So I guess my question to the group is to solicit advice from others
who might have the same issue and ask for ways to make a positive
diagnosis and how to correct this for cycling and other activities.

Thanks for your insight and suggestions.

Steve

Quoted message said:

The easiest way for ME to demonstrate that my left leg is shorter than
my right is to stand in front of a mirror and observe that my belt is
not parallel to the floor.

Its been over ten years since I broke my leg and, at first, I tried
lifts' in my shoe to compensate for the half inch of difference but
found that was more hassle than it was worth.

I am now 66, car free for 2 years, running several times per week and
have not had any back or leg problems.

The thing is, there could be several reasons for what you perceive.
One is that an actual different in leg-length. Addressing that might
involve a shim under the cleat on the shorter leg.

On the other hand, the belt not being parallel to the ground might be
caused by your hips being twisted in some way, or a lower back
problem. It might be worth addressing the causes of the hip or back
problem with therapy, stretching, strengthening, chiropractic or other
approaches.

JT

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My GP noted my leg length discrepency in my teens, and tried heel lifts
in shoes to compensate. After one problem in my 20's, I finally had a
really bad back pain attack in my 30's, and went to a succession of
docs, surgeons, chiros and physios. The solution (credit to my
girlfriend who found it) was a clinic in Ottawa run by a national team
ski and paddling doc and a partner physio. They showed confidence in
their diagnoses, and really sold the therapy, which was mainly bloody
hard work at hamstring and back flexibility. To this day (I'm 48) the
exercises keep me pain free, full range of motion....if I do them.
Not, if I don't.

The exercises weren't that different than others other practitioners
showed me, just a degree of commitment to them, and help doing them at
first. The leg length discrepency has not ever been an issue or
solution otherwise. Sort of a long way of saying, the first
practitioner may not be the answer.

One reference they used is a New Zealand physio Robin Mackenzie's
"Treat your own back".

The main solution exercise for me is: warm-up up with back arches
(push-ups with hips on floor), then lying flat on my back, pulling up
one straightened leg with a webbing strap, foot dorsiflexed, stretch,
then a max hip extensors contraction against the strap, relax, stretch
again, repeat 5-10 x. Hurts every time but loosens me up for days.

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I think that I have finally figured out the reason for some of my knee
problems while cycling and also the reason behind my chronic lower
back pain.

I think that I have one leg longer than the other!

Very common. I am with you here. I broke one leg which gave me a 2.5 cm
shorter left leg. Then I broke the right leg which left me only about .9
cm shorter and that's easy to deal with.

See a SPORTS podiatrist or another who is familiar with SPORTS medicine.
This is very easy to measure if you have an assistant. Try the length
from your hip pointer to your ankle bone while seated.

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I think that I have finally figured out the reason for some of my knee
problems while cycling and also the reason behind my chronic lower
back pain.

I think that I have one leg longer than the other! I can see this
pretty readily while seated on the bike My left heel goes noticeably
further down at the bottom of the pedal stroke than the right heel.
The saddle should be keeping my pelvis level which removes any tilt
from the picture so this should give a good relative idea of the
difference.

This also helps to explain my nearly chronic "facet" lower back pain
which occurs only on the left side like my pelvis is permanently
tilted while walking. I have had this pretty much continually for
about the past 10 years, since I was about 40. I pretty much manage it
by staying flexible which cycling and stretching seems to help.

Years ago I went to several doctors for my back problems. They could
find nothing wrong and prescribed the usual stretching and
strengthening exercises which didn't seem to help much if at all.

So I guess my question to the group is to solicit advice from others
who might have the same issue and ask for ways to make a positive
diagnosis and how to correct this for cycling and other activities.

Thanks for your insight and suggestions.

Steve

I cycled with a man who had about a 3 inch difference in leg length.
He had custom shoes built by D-Squared in Colorado. The carbon sole
was built up about 3".

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3893

Quoted message said:

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I think that I have finally figured out the reason for some of my knee
problems while cycling and also the reason behind my chronic lower
back pain.

I think that I have one leg longer than the other! I can see this
pretty readily while seated on the bike My left heel goes noticeably
further down at the bottom of the pedal stroke than the right heel.
The saddle should be keeping my pelvis level which removes any tilt
from the picture so this should give a good relative idea of the
difference.

This also helps to explain my nearly chronic "facet" lower back pain
which occurs only on the left side like my pelvis is permanently
tilted while walking. I have had this pretty much continually for
about the past 10 years, since I was about 40. I pretty much manage it
by staying flexible which cycling and stretching seems to help.

Years ago I went to several doctors for my back problems. They could
find nothing wrong and prescribed the usual stretching and
strengthening exercises which didn't seem to help much if at all.

So I guess my question to the group is to solicit advice from others
who might have the same issue and ask for ways to make a positive
diagnosis and how to correct this for cycling and other activities.

Thanks for your insight and suggestions.

Steve

I cycled with a man who had about a 3 inch difference in leg length.
He had custom shoes built by D-Squared in Colorado. The carbon sole
was built up about 3".

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3893

Should have also mentioned my brother has one leg about 1 inch shorter
than the other. My brother had a 1 inch aluminum shim made by a
machinist to go under the SPD cleat on his cycling shoes.

Paul Cassel said:

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I think that I have finally figured out the reason for some of my knee
problems while cycling and also the reason behind my chronic lower
back pain.

I think that I have one leg longer than the other!

Very common. I am with you here. I broke one leg which gave me a 2.5 cm
shorter left leg. Then I broke the right leg which left me only about .9
cm shorter and that's easy to deal with.

Ahhh... That's the solution! 🙂

Quoted message said:

See a SPORTS podiatrist or another who is familiar with SPORTS medicine.
This is very easy to measure if you have an assistant. Try the length
from your hip pointer to your ankle bone while seated.

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

Quoted message said:

The easiest way for ME to demonstrate that my left leg is shorter
than my right is to stand in front of a mirror and observe that my
belt is not parallel to the floor.

Its been over ten years since I broke my leg and, at first, I tried
lifts' in my shoe to compensate for the half inch of difference but
found that was more hassle than it was worth.

I am now 66, car free for 2 years, running several times per week and
have not had any back or leg problems.

The thing is, there could be several reasons for what you perceive.
One is that an actual different in leg-length. Addressing that might
involve a shim under the cleat on the shorter leg.

On the other hand, the belt not being parallel to the ground might be
caused by your hips being twisted in some way, or a lower back
problem. It might be worth addressing the causes of the hip or back
problem with therapy, stretching, strengthening, chiropractic or other
approaches.

All good suggestions, John, but FYI, "Limey Lew" here isn't the OP. Sounds
like ol' Lew isn't having any problems at all ("I am now 66, car free for 2
years, running several times per week and have not had any back or leg
problems."😉.

If I were him I wouldn't attempt to fix anything.

Bill S.

"Steve Sr." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

Quoted message said:

I think that I have one leg longer than the other! I can see this

As others have suggested find a good orthoped. Often, legs are actually the
same length, but other things are off. For years, I was told my hip is
crooked. I had shoe inserts and was using extra cleats for biking (I did
look kinda funny with three Look cleats on one shoe...).
Recently, a relative had told me about a different treatment, In German
it's called "Vitalogie" - not sure if there is a good translation, but it's
a refined Chiropracter method that a Swiss guy (Huggler) picked up in the
US. Basically the Atlas (top vertebrae?) is misaligned and readjusting it
can get rid of the problem.
Since I had almost an inch different I could easily see the diff between
treatments. I went three times and now I threw out all my shoes with my
inserts and use only one cleat on each of my cycling shoes. It's also nice
that I can buy any sports shoes I want - it has gotten extremely hard in
recent years with all the air and what-not technologies to find a shoe one
can actually put an insert in.

I know traditional doctors say it's all hoax. Maybe it is, but it has worked
for me..

Good luck!

On Sun, 11 Jun 2006 22:08:39 -0400, Steve Sr. <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I think that I have finally figured out the reason for some of my knee
problems while cycling and also the reason behind my chronic lower
back pain.

I think that I have one leg longer than the other! I can see this
pretty readily while seated on the bike My left heel goes noticeably
further down at the bottom of the pedal stroke than the right heel.
The saddle should be keeping my pelvis level which removes any tilt
from the picture so this should give a good relative idea of the
difference.

This also helps to explain my nearly chronic "facet" lower back pain
which occurs only on the left side like my pelvis is permanently
tilted while walking. I have had this pretty much continually for
about the past 10 years, since I was about 40. I pretty much manage it
by staying flexible which cycling and stretching seems to help.

Years ago I went to several doctors for my back problems. They could
find nothing wrong and prescribed the usual stretching and
strengthening exercises which didn't seem to help much if at all.

So I guess my question to the group is to solicit advice from others
who might have the same issue and ask for ways to make a positive
diagnosis and how to correct this for cycling and other activities.

Thanks for your insight and suggestions.

Steve

Thanks for everyone's stories and suggestions. I think I will start by
asking my sister in law who is an occupational therapist if she can do
a quick assessment and point me to some other resources.

It appears that this is a common issue and I suspect that it makes
more difference depending on your flexibility (or lack thereof). When
young and more flexible it is hardly an issue. But for me I seem to
have inherited a tendency for more inflexibility than most and when
combined with the leg length differences leads to problems.

It was interesting to note that most of you that tried orthotic
inserts and the like saw little or no benefit from them. I would have
thought that this would be a slam dunk.

Steve

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Sr. said:

It was interesting to note that most of you that tried orthotic
inserts and the like saw little or no benefit from them. I would have
thought that this would be a slam dunk.

If you live near or can conveniently get to Colorado Springs, go see
Andy Pruitt (you can google for him). The most accurate way to
determine if you have a significant leg-length discrepancy is to have
them measured, which is done by taking X-rays and then measuring the
images. This information is then used to determine how to address the
problem. Generally, one half of the discrepancy is taken up with a shim
under the cleat of the shorter leg, and the other half by adjusting the
position of the saddle (for and aft and/or vertically) and cleat
position (fore and aft).

Sorni said:

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

Quoted message said:

The easiest way for ME to demonstrate that my left leg is shorter
than my right is to stand in front of a mirror and observe that my
belt is not parallel to the floor.

Its been over ten years since I broke my leg and, at first, I tried
lifts' in my shoe to compensate for the half inch of difference but
found that was more hassle than it was worth.

I am now 66, car free for 2 years, running several times per week and
have not had any back or leg problems.

The thing is, there could be several reasons for what you perceive.
One is that an actual different in leg-length. Addressing that might
involve a shim under the cleat on the shorter leg.

On the other hand, the belt not being parallel to the ground might be
caused by your hips being twisted in some way, or a lower back
problem. It might be worth addressing the causes of the hip or back
problem with therapy, stretching, strengthening, chiropractic or other
approaches.

All good suggestions, John, but FYI, "Limey Lew" here isn't the OP. Sounds
like ol' Lew isn't having any problems at all ("I am now 66, car free for 2
years, running several times per week and have not had any back or leg
problems."😉.

If I were him I wouldn't attempt to fix anything.

Right. Thanks. Though an apparent leg-length discrepancy caused by
tilted hips or tight back is worth keeping an eye on. If the amount
of the discrepancy changes over time, even without bad symptoms in
cycling, it should be looked at by a health-care professional.

JT

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