I was diagnosed with a short leg when I was 14 –just born that way (and have been subsequently diagnosed with the same, 3 more times). My right leg is literally shorter than my left leg –verified by an x-ray not manual examination. My right leg is 3/8th of an inch (a little more than a quarter of an inch) shorter than my left. This has caused all sorts of musculo-skeletal imbalances and pain and tension.
How else does this imbalance affect me?
• DEPRESSED, IRRITABLE MOOD because an imbalance in the body equals impeded energy flow, which equals an imbalance in your emotional and spiritual state.
• A horizontal and vertical twist in my hips
• A consequential misalignment in my hips, shoulders, knees, ankles, neck, and jaw misalignment –and between the different sections of my spine- cervical/thoracic, thoracic/lumbar, lumbar/sacral, sacral/coccyx.
• A flared hip
• Dental issues
• Reoccurring bursitits in my left hip joint
• Muscle strength imbalance
• Resulting trigger points
• Consequential gait imbalance
• Slight nerve compression and/or impingement (left leg is always slightly weak)
Here is the list things that I have to modifiy, or avoid, or otherwise I will have significant pain and tension to deal with.
• I can not stand for long periods of time.
• I can not walk for long periods of time.
• I can not hike for long periods of time.
• I can not run on pavement, period.
• I can not ascend or descend steep inclines/declines for long periods of time.
• I can not ride a bicycle.
• I can not use any exercise machines for more than a few minutes –no treadmill, no stairmachine, no elliptical…
• I can not take dance classes, of any kind.
• I can not take aerobics classes, of any kind.
• I can not do sprinting.
• I can not actually swim due to how this imbalance affects my upper body.
• I can not do bilateral weight-lifting, with either my upper body or lower body.
• I can not do any recreational activity that requires the use of both sides of my body simultaneously –skiing, snowboarding, surfing, etc.
• Sleeping on anything other than my back poses big problems due to the weakness in my hips this imbalance causes.
• My hips go out of alignment periodically during which I endure and undue amount of pain and inflammation of my hip joints – it used to be out of place more often than it was in place. However, it takes an average of 3 days for me to get it back in place using some self-taught chiropractic/physical therapy stuff. In the past, it could take up to a week to get them back in place.
What can I do?
Most days I can do the following with little issue…
• I can do bilateral strength exercises.
• I can do bilateral weightlifting (ever try to do a one-armed dip? Or go straight to one-legged squats?)
• I can do aqua-aerobics.
• I can do yoga.
• I can run on trails (my bodily heavily prefers the slope to be down to the left – I wonder why…) as long as there are not steep inclines/declines.
• I can work at jobs where I am allowed to stand, sit and walk –as needed.
And guess what?
I AM THE ONE PREVENTING MY BODY FROM RETURNING TO IT’S NATURAL STATE. And I use “I”, lightly, as the “I” of which I refer is, my ego, who thinks that I HAVE to be a BAREFOOT runner, 100%, or I will die in a gutter. Nonsense!
Let me repeat, again – MY EGO IS WHAT IS PREVENTING MY BODY FROM BEING RETURNED TO IT’S NATURAL STATE.
So, now the fun begins. My husband’s calipers and I -are now looking at various recycled materials to attach and/or insert to my sandals and Mocs –as needed. I should not need to use it for my general trail runs. I WILL definitely need to use it during college – since I will be moving a lot less while massaging people.
I have had the shoe lift before, but they always gave me a heel lift, indicating they thought it was a hip TWIST, but it’s actually a short leg (the first two times it was diagnosed they did not do an X-ray –duhhh…), so this will be the first time that I have the CORRECT type of lift – a full length lift. The reasons I always stopped wearing my heel-lift in the past, was because it rid me of one set of symptoms, but then would cause others. Now I know why!
How else does this imbalance affect me?
• DEPRESSED, IRRITABLE MOOD because an imbalance in the body equals impeded energy flow, which equals an imbalance in your emotional and spiritual state.
• A horizontal and vertical twist in my hips
• A consequential misalignment in my hips, shoulders, knees, ankles, neck, and jaw misalignment –and between the different sections of my spine- cervical/thoracic, thoracic/lumbar, lumbar/sacral, sacral/coccyx.
• A flared hip
• Dental issues
• Reoccurring bursitits in my left hip joint
• Muscle strength imbalance
• Resulting trigger points
• Consequential gait imbalance
• Slight nerve compression and/or impingement (left leg is always slightly weak)
Here is the list things that I have to modifiy, or avoid, or otherwise I will have significant pain and tension to deal with.
• I can not stand for long periods of time.
• I can not walk for long periods of time.
• I can not hike for long periods of time.
• I can not run on pavement, period.
• I can not ascend or descend steep inclines/declines for long periods of time.
• I can not ride a bicycle.
• I can not use any exercise machines for more than a few minutes –no treadmill, no stairmachine, no elliptical…
• I can not take dance classes, of any kind.
• I can not take aerobics classes, of any kind.
• I can not do sprinting.
• I can not actually swim due to how this imbalance affects my upper body.
• I can not do bilateral weight-lifting, with either my upper body or lower body.
• I can not do any recreational activity that requires the use of both sides of my body simultaneously –skiing, snowboarding, surfing, etc.
• Sleeping on anything other than my back poses big problems due to the weakness in my hips this imbalance causes.
• My hips go out of alignment periodically during which I endure and undue amount of pain and inflammation of my hip joints – it used to be out of place more often than it was in place. However, it takes an average of 3 days for me to get it back in place using some self-taught chiropractic/physical therapy stuff. In the past, it could take up to a week to get them back in place.
What can I do?
Most days I can do the following with little issue…
• I can do bilateral strength exercises.
• I can do bilateral weightlifting (ever try to do a one-armed dip? Or go straight to one-legged squats?)
• I can do aqua-aerobics.
• I can do yoga.
• I can run on trails (my bodily heavily prefers the slope to be down to the left – I wonder why…) as long as there are not steep inclines/declines.
• I can work at jobs where I am allowed to stand, sit and walk –as needed.
And guess what?
I AM THE ONE PREVENTING MY BODY FROM RETURNING TO IT’S NATURAL STATE. And I use “I”, lightly, as the “I” of which I refer is, my ego, who thinks that I HAVE to be a BAREFOOT runner, 100%, or I will die in a gutter. Nonsense!
Let me repeat, again – MY EGO IS WHAT IS PREVENTING MY BODY FROM BEING RETURNED TO IT’S NATURAL STATE.
So, now the fun begins. My husband’s calipers and I -are now looking at various recycled materials to attach and/or insert to my sandals and Mocs –as needed. I should not need to use it for my general trail runs. I WILL definitely need to use it during college – since I will be moving a lot less while massaging people.
I have had the shoe lift before, but they always gave me a heel lift, indicating they thought it was a hip TWIST, but it’s actually a short leg (the first two times it was diagnosed they did not do an X-ray –duhhh…), so this will be the first time that I have the CORRECT type of lift – a full length lift. The reasons I always stopped wearing my heel-lift in the past, was because it rid me of one set of symptoms, but then would cause others. Now I know why!
