One Leg Shorter

First a little history: as you may recall, I went to a physiotherapist a few months back for help with a backache. I also explained to him that I often get pain in the Achilles area. He massaged me, cracked some bones, and examined my posture. He told me something I know: I have a massive sway back. He also told me something I didn't know: that my left leg was, by his eyesight, 8 millimeters shorter than my right. The next day, I added a 5m lift to my left shoe. And for the 1st time in my life, I could stand straight. Like a minor miracle. So I knew he was onto something.

Delving Further

Knowing that I could use new orthodics, I decided to go to a podiatrist. I wanted to get the leg accurately measured and to see if I could get the height difference added straight onto the new orthodic. To make a long story short, the difference in my left leg is unbelievable. 17 millimeters/ .67 inches! We measured twice, and when my left foot was on a 17m lift, my hips were finally level. It explains a lot. My whole life, my body compensated for the difference with a massive sway back and a slight lean. That affects my left calf, gives me occasional backaches, and may even be the cause of my nerve issues in my left foot.

So now I await my new orthodics. I get them in mid-January. I guess it's gonna take some getting used to. I will have to learn to walk in them and run in them. So no marathons for me in the near future. But all in all, I am completely stoked that my problem has been discovered. It feels like a revelation. I look forward to standing straight and running tall!