I have been suffering with left leg issues (mainly ITBS) for about 10 months now and recently realized there is a big imbalance in my legs in length. It looks like my hips are slanted with my left hip bone almost an inch higher than on my right. I'm adamant this is the root cause of all my problems.
Does anyone know how I can correct this problem? Excercises? Stretches? Accupuncture? Massage?
The first step is to determine the cause of this leg length discrepancy. It can be functional (spine out of alignment, etc.) or structural (one bone is actually longer than the other). After determining the cause, you can then determine the best course of action.
Chiropractic, physical therapy, etc. will solve the former cause. Inserts, orthotics, lifts, etc. will remedy the latter.
I have a similar problem, mine is structural.
i have a thicker inersole in one shoe which evens everything out, best bet is to seek professional advice.
Make sure it isn't in your back. I herniated a disk in my back and thought it was an IT band issue for a few months and went to physical therapy for my leg muscles before realizing it was a sciatic pain issue. Do a backbend and see if anything catches on the left side more than the right side.
I have one leg longer than the other, and I just wear a heel lift. Although I think you should consider a chiropractor first.
CHIROPRACTOR
The chiropractor will most likely says its an Atlas misalignment. I had this problem and after 2-3 sessions it helped tremendously but the chiropractor wanted me to continue which I didn't because he charged me 40 dollars a visit with insurance. Hope this helps.
Say no to chiropractors
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chiro.html
At age 13 I ran in a 100 yards race against another school on their grass track. About 20 yards from the finish (I was winning) there must have been a bump or rise in my lane and when my foot went down on it I got the most almighty jolt through my leg. [I limped over the line and came third :-( ]. I was in severe pain for 2 days after that (and our sports teacher did nothing whatever to help!).
Years later aged 35 I started running again, long distance.
I found that one leg was apparently longer than the other - I got stress fractures, ran lop-ided etc etc. Then I remembered what happened at school. I reckon that my pelvis was tilted with the impact, and being young, the bones hadn't finished knitting together, so I ended up with a tilted pelvis.
To fix this I experimented with sticky-backed felt pads
(Orthopaedic Felt)which I cut and shaped with scissors and put in my running shoes until I had got the legs equal. However that took some getting used to and I ended up with a stress fracture on the longer leg because it wasn't used to being worked so hard. Eventually I got the balance right and ran for years, with occasional 'topping up' of the felt as it gradually got squashed. (Best race was 1hr 15 mins half marathon at age 43.)
The felt is stuck to my insoles and when I buy new running shoes I put the old insoles in with the felt on.
I can recommend an excellent book for running injuries - The Runners Repair Manual by Murray F. Weisenfeld.
I've just started running again at age 63 after a 2 year lay-off and guess what - I have the problem again :-(
However I'm confident that I can fix it with the felt padding.
Glenn.
get a sharp saw
get a sharp saw
See a chiropractor.
No Way wrote:
Say no to chiropractors
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chiro.html
I would be more inclined to go to a massage therapist. More than likely it is tight muscles that are causing the imbalance. I had a psoas problem that lasted for years during which I couldn't run. Once I figured out what it was and did a simple stretch, I didnt have a problem with it.
For the last few years I get a massage once a month with the main emphasis of keeping my hips aligned.