# leg length discrepancy



## arinowner (Feb 25, 2008)

What kind of Dr. would I need to go see to find out if I have one leg longer than the other?
I feel as if my right leg is doing all the work. I have been doing one legged pedal drills and have had my cleat placement checked and rechecked to make sure they are in the same position on both shoes. Still I feel my right leg is dominating....

Would a chiropractor (? spelling) help?

Thanks in advance


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2009)

What kind of doctor? A good one! Sorry couldn't resist.

I think a chiropractor would be a good place to look, a sports medicine clinic or physical therapist might also be able to help, ask around a little bit.

Have you had your feet sized recently? I thought maybe I had a discrepancy and it turned out one of my feet is a full metric size larger than the other, addressing that has helped quite a bit.


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## Walter (Dec 24, 2006)

I have one leg that is almost 1/2" shorter than another. An orthopedic surgeon can do an accurate measurement for you.

Consider also going to a good foot specialist (not necessarily an MD). I thought I had handled the length issues, but still had problems with riding or hiking. I was referred to Bill Peterson at who watched me walk and ride on a trainer, then made orthotics for my cycling shoes, hiking shoes and dress shoes. _Huge _improvement all around.

http://www.wedofeet.com/ (Tucson location)


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## Alex_Simmons/RST (Jan 12, 2008)

The following items make for interesting reading. The pelvic symmetry item in this case.

http://www.cyclefitcentre.com/further reading.htm

Me - I can make one of my legs as long or short as I like


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## Slip'nRide (Oct 17, 2009)

Have you checked your saddle alignment? If it's pointing to one side or the other, it can have a pretty significant effect on your pedaling. 

A good way to check general saddle problems is to ride no-handed for a bit, and see if you start rocking or lurching to one side or the other - it can reveal a leg discrepancy, saddle height problems, or alignment issues. Your stroke should be smooth on both sides, keeping you planted on the saddle and your bike going straight.

Not a cure-all, but maybe it could give you an idea of what's going on.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Alex_Simmons/RST said:


> Me - I can make one of my legs as long or short as I like


When I started school in 1947 in Germany, I had a teacher who would boast that "he could keep up the sock on one of his legs with a thumbtack."


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## deadleg (Jan 26, 2005)

check out the Lemond cleat wedges ( at excel) and specialized shoe inserts, they might help. 
A pro bike fitter helped me out, I don't think you can do this yourself. Maybe you could watch your fit in a mirror on a trainer, but...


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

wim said:


> When I started school in 1947 in Germany, I had a teacher who would boast that "he could keep up the sock on one of his legs with a thumbtack."


G. Gordon Liddy can do that, too.


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## kermit (Dec 7, 2004)

I have a 1/4 inch leg length discrepancy due to a broken hip. I went to a podiatrist who specializes in treating runners and makes custom orthotics. He told me what to buy, a heel raise for running shoes and I use the lemond wedges. Six of them and all my chafing and back issues solved. A got a fit and I have never been more secure on the bike. Good luck.


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## muscleendurance (Jan 11, 2009)

physiotherapist. Orthopaedic Surgeon?!?! - have you seen how much they cost!


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## PomPilot (May 17, 2006)

I had tried a chiropractor (without much relief), a podiatrist (higher arch on the right foot than on the left) and a physical therapist, to find out why I was having back problems at age 27.

It took an orthopedic surgeon (with an interest in rheumatology) ordering a full skeletal x-ray series, to discover that I have a 17mm difference between the two legs. (The thought before the radiographs was the possiblity of rheumatoid arthritis since ankylosing spondylitis ran in my dad’s family). The skeletal series showed my right leg was shorter proportionately than my left leg. I now use a 12mm lift in my right shoe, and decent orthotic insoles.


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## tacoracer (Sep 6, 2009)

I would avoid the chiropractor. Your best bet is a physical therapist, podiatrist or an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. Bonus if he is a cyclist. You might ask your local bike shop if they have a customer with one of these occupations or someone they could recommend. 

I have a teammate who had a club foot as a child which resulted in a significant leg length discrepancy. To the point he has two different sized shoes and a lift under one cleat. Hope it all works out!


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## Andrea138 (Mar 10, 2008)

I actually found out about my left leg being about 1cm longer than my right when I went in for a bike fit @ my LBS. He determined that the difference in length was in my femur and adjusted my cleats and the fore/aft of my saddle to help balance things out. I'm much more comfortable now. 
My chiropractor also noticed the discrepancy and whenever I see him, he stretches my lower back out with emphasis on the shorter side. He noticed an improvement after the adjustments that the bike fitter made.


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## tacoracer (Sep 6, 2009)

http://velonews.competitor.com/2009...gth-discrepancy-to-shim-or-not-to-shim_101909


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## EMB145 Driver (Aug 17, 2006)

My left leg is about .25" shorter than the other due to fractured femur some 15 years ago. I've done nothing on the bike, or everyday life, to compensate for this discrepancy and have no pain or difficulties. If you're having pain and/or other problems, I consider having a bike fit to make some changes. Otherwise, if it's not broken, don't fix it.


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## peabody (Oct 17, 2005)

Andrea138 said:


> I actually found out about my left leg being about 1cm longer than my right when I went in for a bike fit @ my LBS. He determined that the difference in length was in my femur and adjusted my cleats and the fore/aft of my saddle to help balance things out. I'm much more comfortable now.
> My chiropractor also noticed the discrepancy and whenever I see him, he stretches my lower back out with emphasis on the shorter side. He noticed an improvement after the adjustments that the bike fitter made.



so are you offsetting your cleats? cleat further forward on the shorter side?


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## monkeyboie (Aug 19, 2007)

Everyone has one leg longer than the other. Same goes with the arms. The human body is not symetrical. Both the left and right sides are different.


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## madfastride (Jun 4, 2008)

Go see a qualified bike fitter. One that knows the difference and can fix and adjust for functional leg discrepancies and structural ones. I had a LBS bike fit with wedges and then went to Bill Peterson to find out my discrepancy wasn't structural but functional. His insoles helped me out and I removed the wedge.

http://www.dynamicfootsystems.com/


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## prettynikki (Feb 18, 2011)

A good chiropractor would definitely compensate to all the things that you would be needing here. If the ones like san clemente chiropractor and the like can help out that one, then things would have been very much different.


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## Doug B (Sep 11, 2009)

My third leg is a LOT shorter than the other two.

I kept telling my wife that my third leg measured 9 inches long... but then I realized I was holding the ruler backwards.


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## orlin03 (Dec 11, 2007)

I was fit by David at Elite bicycles, and he found a discrepency that turned out to be in the hip, not the leg. It had been rotated because I ignorantly kept by wallet in my back pocket. He was able to correct it temporarily, and give me workouts (squeezing a volleyball between my thighs- more painful than it sounds!) to keep it that way. It may not be 100% today, but it is very, very close, and much better than it was. In my case, getting fit by a personal trainer, a pro triathlete, a perdorthist, a physical therapist, and biomechanical enthusiast really paid off.


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