During 2004 I experienced substantial discomfort, if not downright pain, in my left foot and decided to consult a podiatrist. He did a thorough physical check and sent me for X-rays, which turned out to confirm his suspicion: a condition called anisomelia (aniso + melos, or unequality of the limbs)
|
Left |
Right |
|
|
Femur |
50.9cm |
49.9cm |
|
Lower |
40.9cm |
41.2cm |
|
Total |
91.8cm |
91.1cm |
A leg/limb length discrepancy (LLD) of 0.7cm (7mm)
As podiatrist done then, he wrapped both feet in plaster; took the moulds (casts) gently off while still soft; and I received my first set of orthotics about a week later. They lifted the upper-side of both feet substantially, resulting in having to replace several of my shoes with a size bigger and with laces only (no more slip-ons). Even had a special pair of sandals made by combining a pair of size 12 uppers on size 10 soles.
Worn the orthotics religiously; acquired several pairs; and had them reconditioned from time to time. My orthotics served a good therapeutic purpose.
Being a late-in-life started-runner (end 2014/early 2015), I observed some adverse effects. Often developed a hard-skin spot on the inside of my left foot. When done longer distances, even noticed some blood accumulation under the skin. I would treat the spot and I would get better, but redevelop.
As I increased the frequency of running, I found that I often developed pain inside both feet, or in some toes. Been experiencing these discomforts during and after running.
Done mostly trails or night runs on and around golf-courses, and occasional road races. Acquired both trail and road shoes. Seen an article which indicates that podiatrists differ in opinion if orthotics should be worn on trails or not. I stuck to mine.
As result of the Covid pandemic, I’ve been running mainly on suburban roads. My road running shoes started showing real wear and tear, and I decided to replace them. I traced my feet to get a more accurate measure, and found my right foot to be 28cm, a cm longer but slimmer, than my left foot, which is visibly wider.
I considered a proper fitting but then bought a pair of Altra (Paradigm 4.5), known for width and zero elevation. I decided to 'test' some theory and has been running and walking for the past week, mainly on roads and sidewalks, without orthotics. I experienced that my feet needed adapting to the Altras, but I am not experiencing the previous discomforts.
Is it a matter of the orthotics causing adverse rather than the desired therapeutic effects?
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