Podiatrists, Lifts and LLD

While waiting to see if my bid for a place in the 2007 London Marathon has been successful, I had stepped up my weekly running miles in an effort to be in as good a shape as possible when the real training starts. I managed to get to 25 - 30 miles a week when problems arose in my back and ankle. Backache is common for me but the pain in my left Achilles tendon worried me. On the recommendation of a friend I made an appointment with a podiatrist for a bio mechanical assessment and she has informed me that my ankle/back problem is caused by a leg length discrepancy (LLD) of 8mm and I need custom orthotic insoles with a lift incorporated to sort out my problems. It turns out that taking a decision to use lifts in your shoes has fairly major life consequenses, namely the fact that going barefoot is not recomended (without the insoles your gait will be wrong) and the fact that certain types of shoe (sandals, beachshoes, flipflops etc.) cannot be easily worn with the insole. Regardless of these drawbacks I have decided to go for the insoles. I now have to try various heel lifts (4mm, 6mm and 8mm) for the next 4 to 5 weeks to establish the most appropriate adjustment.