Different length legs!

[Merrida]

A sort of follow up to my left knee pain post, but the more I've paid attention, a friend who is a physical therapist has been watching me.

My left leg is longer than my right leg.

Yep, "most" people have discrepancies, and "most" people carry on without a bother. I'm gathering I always had it but as I get older, maybe it's more pronounced? I'm looking for help on analyzing this (because only by figuring this out can I, personally, figure out how to "fix" this).

Looking back decades I realize the left side of my body's always had problems: my muscles in my mid and lower back, left glute, have always been tighter. I thought it was just postural and addressed it as such. My left hip flexor, tight. Severe, (!) sharp pain in the left hip with pressure and my left calf is forever "seized up" in a relentless cramp.

NOW I can see how the longer leg has caused me to swing that leg around for YEARS and how I've been laterally bending, all to compensate. But I had it wrong all this time thinking it was "just the muscles in my back" - and my chiro would help, and the physical therapist I saw in Boston helped.

But now I see clearly what's going on. I can't walk barefoot anymore without pain in the left hip and knee. I have drop foot on the left (that's why I gather I broke my left foot three times and why that's the foot I "scuff" when I walk, sometimes tripping).

I started with a heel lift for the knee pain and it helped, then I got a full insert, ONLY worn in the right shoe. I can actually walk quasi-normally. But it won't/can't undo the years of cumulative damage. My femur has jammed so hard into my hip socket and my knee has worn damage.

I'm doing my best to always (within reason) wear my sneakers with the orthotic in the right shoe. But I can still feel the residual damage and compensation.

Long post I know, so thank you those who took time to read it. I'm reaching out to see if I can bounce this off of anybody for ideas on where to go from here...not only so I don't continue this utilateral damage to my spine, sacrum, hip joint, knee and foot...but how to at least work to create a symetry (as much as possible).

As little as ten years ago I could wear high heels and only felt tightness in my muscles, nothing major. Now, they cause severe pain in my left QL muscle and throw my posture off. I may end up in sneakers forever (unless they make uni-orthotics for my right high heeled shoe -- haha).

I feel the imbalance, it's SO prevalent and "loud" even when I'm sitting now. Like the damage was done so any position reminds me that my left side is pretty darned screwed up.

Thoughts? Ideas? Postulations? Opinions?

Thanks again guys.

[Bearbait]

Have you tried a Chiropractor? Once my alignment is out one of my legs is longer than the other which causes other problems.

[Merrida]

Originally Posted by Bearbait

Have you tried a Chiropractor? Once my alignment is out one of my legs is longer than the other which causes other problems.

Mine is the other way around. My legs are different lengths (much more noticeable now than say ten years ago), and that in turn is what affects my knee, hip, and back. The longer leg is smooshing (technical term there, be still my heart),...but the longer left leg is weaker and the joints get compressed and jammed together. It's caused everything on the left side of me to be cranked into a reverse C-shape. Nothing on my right side hurts.

Yes, I've kept chiropractic care in the forefront and they help to keep my spine from waivering too far off course. But, it doesn't last long because once I start walking around, the longer leg just smooshes (there's that word again) everything up and in.

I DO find wearing shoes with an orthotic in the right shoe to be oddly helpful. Barefoot is unbelievably painful on my whole body, especially left knee and hip and sacrum.

[Merrida]

Originally Posted by Bearbait

Have you tried a Chiropractor? Once my alignment is out one of my legs is longer than the other which causes other problems.

Oh, an addendum: If my left leg were longer because the left side of my spine (or my SI joint) was "loose," then the adjustment would correct that. However, with a longer left leg, when I stand, it forces everything on the left to compress and tighten (not "open up"). If it were my spine I think my right side would be "tight" to compensate, but that's not happening.

Even the muscles on the left (QL and LS) they're painfully and measurably tight. It feels good to have my left (longer) leg PULLED (traction), opening up the hip and LS. Longer leg is tighter, not the shorter leg. Stretching the longer leg just "makes it longer" -- but it feels better mechanically.

So isn't that a bit of a backwards thing if it were my spine causing the problems?

I am genuinely stumped, and it's only been the past give or take year or two that this has progressed like this. I'm baffled and really hope to find some new perspectives so I can try different things to manage this.

Thanks again.

A friend of mine with scoliosis has a problem like you've described. His changes come from compensating for the curvature of his spine. He sees an orthospinologist for some kind of adjustment and it helps him for about a week.

I prefer a DO or DC myself.

Is it possibly hip and spine problems from your ongoing medical history causing this change in your body?

Neither of us are spring chickens anymore ya know. Parts of us will shrink as we get older from joint compression and degeneration. I'm only 6'0" now. 5' 11.5" eventually I guess.