How Uneven Leg Length Can Aggravate Hip Pain During Walking

Step Rite Shoe Lifts

With one leg longer, the hip on that side sits higher and its muscles work harder to clear the foot each step. The hip on the shorter side takes a harder landing. A lift on the shorter side evens the two.

Which hip hurts

Either one. The longer side works to lift the foot over the ground, so the muscles on the outside of that hip tire and ache. The shorter side drops into each step and the joint takes the impact. Pain on one side only, made worse by walking, is the pattern to notice.

After a hip replacement

The new hip is often fine. The walk is the problem. The surgeon lengthened the leg to keep the joint stable, and the other side is now short. Clinicians wait three to six months for the muscles to settle, then measure.

The lift, built the right way

A full-length lift raises the heel and the ball of the foot together, so the foot keeps the pitch it had before and the hip swings through a normal stride. A heel-only insert changes the pitch and can add to the problem it was meant to solve.

"This company is amazing. I got hip replaced and one leg is now 1/2 inch longer."Chuck Marik