Insoles for Leg Length Discrepancy

Even the smallest imbalance in the body can impact your mobility. If you or your child is experiencing leg length discrepancy (LLD) – otherwise known as anisomelia – OrthoSole insoles can help. They are uniquely designed to add lift, improve comfort, and deliver incredible support to the parts of your feet that need it the most.

What is leg discrepancy?

Leg length discrepancy quite literally refers to a condition that leaves one of your legs noticeably longer than the other. It’s much more common in children but can also occur in fully developed adults.

Interestingly, it’s not unusual for our lower limbs to be unequal. In fact, studies predict that between 40% and 70% of the general population have a leg difference greater than 20mm. Much of the time, it’s just an anatomical quirk with little to no side effects – but if your leg discrepancy is affecting your gait, making you limp, or is making standing or walking uncomfortable, it could begin to dramatically affect your quality of life.

What causes leg length discrepancy?

Broken thigh bones and/or shinbones that have healed in new positions are often responsible for leg discrepancy. If illness or injury damages the growth plates that sit around either of the bones in the leg, they may begin to grow at a slower or faster rate.

Other causes of leg discrepancy include:

Bone diseases, including neurofibromatosis and Ollier disease
Bone infections
Certain neurological conditions
Inflammatory conditions such as juvenile arthritis, which can affect joint growth

How can it be treated?

If your legs are significantly different in length – say, by more than half an inch – you may need to consider surgical options, like epiphysiodesis.

However, mild leg length discrepancy can usually be managed with the help of insertable shoe lifts and corrective orthotics, like insoles.

How heel lifts can help

Heel Lifts can be worn with our orthotic insoles to raise the leg profile even further. you can find more information here

At OrthoSole we have a wide range of heel lift thicknesses available for leg length discrepancy 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm. All of these are available in either a Small Medium and Large.

Our Small Heel Lift usually fits a UK 3-6 shoe size

Our Medium Heel Lift usually fits a UK 7-9 shoe size

Our Large Heel Lift usually fits a UK 10-13 shoe size.

Our heel lifts can be prescribed by professionals who have measured leg differences in millimeters, and then the correct size chosen to be added to a person’s footwear to assist them.

How custom orthotics can help

At a basic level, orthotic insoles can be used to lift the leg higher to account for a shorter thighbone or shinbone. This will realign the knees, hips and back, and ensure the wearer can move freely and efficiently during all activities. But the innovative inserts from OrthoSole are different from other LLD products in that they are also designed to support your feet and ankles in a variety of other ways.

For maximum benefit we recommend purchasing our Max Cushion for your Trainers & Work Boots (shoes with that bit of room) and then our Thin Style for your tight fitting / formal shoes. No matter what shoes you wear making sure the support is there!

OrthoSole insoles deliver enhanced support to the arches of the feet and the metatarsal bones that run from the ankles to the toes. Best of all, this support is entirely customisable thanks to the range of Light, Medium and Firm arch and metatarsal pieces that come with every single set of inserts. Simply experiment with each of the pieces to see which combination provides the best fit, and you’ll enjoy immediate relief and notice an instantly improved posture.

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