How do you accurately measure leg length?
Forum rules
The information / discussion in the Cycling Health Forum is not qualified medical advice. Please consult your doctor.
The information / discussion in the Cycling Health Forum is not qualified medical advice. Please consult your doctor.
-
- Posts: 315
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:33 pm
How do you accurately measure leg length?
Postby big booty » Fri Nov 20, 2015 6:44 pm
I think my left leg is slightly longer than my right leg. How do you accurately measure leg length? Just with a tape measure from ground to hip bone? Or some other point? Can you then put some sort of packing under one cleat to compensate for the shorter leg?
-
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 4:28 pm
Re: How do you accurately measure leg length?
Postby NeillS » Sun Nov 22, 2015 12:06 pm
I've been doing it for a long time and even I sometimes get it wrong in the clinic, it's suprisingly hard. Tape measures are useless. The only 100% accurate way is with a standing leg length xray taken with knees locked into extension and arms stretched out over your head towards the ceiling, or with a CT scan. I prefer the single image as it's less radiation for the punter. Locking the knees and stretching the body removes most of your postural controls from the situation and usually gives an accurate measurement to within 2mm or so.
Adjusting for the LLD requires cleat shims and longer bolts. Anything over 6-8mm and I start pulling the cleat back a little on the shoe to negate the rocking torque from the shim stack.
Adjusting for the LLD requires cleat shims and longer bolts. Anything over 6-8mm and I start pulling the cleat back a little on the shoe to negate the rocking torque from the shim stack.
- trailgumby
- Posts: 15469
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
- Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
- Contact:
Re: How do you accurately measure leg length?
Postby trailgumby » Sun Nov 22, 2015 2:23 pm
CT scan. I have a 5mm difference: 8mm right femur and 3mm left tibia. Not really enough to justify shimming.
-
- Posts: 315
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:33 pm
Re: How do you accurately measure leg length?
Postby big booty » Sun Nov 22, 2015 8:00 pm
Thanks guys. Not sure I can justify a xray or CT scan. Thought there might have been an "easy" method. If there really is a difference I don't think its large so was hoping there was a quick and easy way of measuring the difference.
-
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 4:28 pm
Re: How do you accurately measure leg length?
Postby NeillS » Sun Nov 22, 2015 8:35 pm
most riders will eventually pull up with a niggle, a pain or a proper injury if doing enough distance, at enough intensity, with enough fitness (fit riders push harder on the pedals and create larger forces) with anything more than 4mm or so difference. There are exceptions to every rule though - I've seen riders with a 15mm difference who had no idea it was even there!
-
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:16 pm
Re: How do you accurately measure leg length?
Postby Davobel » Sun Dec 20, 2015 8:02 pm
Did you have someone set you up on your bike? They should be able to see if your pedaling stoke is even. I'm a chiro and I've been checking people clinically for years. There are lots of different factors that can account for a difference but is that difference anatomical or physiological? I've had patients with differences (physiological) of 35+mm and walk out less than 10mm. But there are so many variations with the +15,000 different people I've check in the past 25 years that to give you a simple answer is impossible.
-
- Posts: 315
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:33 pm
Re: How do you accurately measure leg length?
Postby big booty » Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:07 am
Ive set the bike up myself (with some helpful Q&A emails with Steve Hogg). I think Ive gotten close as it feels pretty good. I noticed however that while my right knee was pointing straight ahead while pedalling my left knee was pointing slightly outwards. I put this down to perhaps one leg being longer than the other. But now Im not sure if this is the case. Ive been actively training the left leg to point straight ahead, so perhaps it was more to do with a bad habit I had formed rather than a physiological reason.
Jump to
- General Australian Cycling Topics
- Info / announcements
- Buying a bike / parts
- General Cycling Discussion
- The Bike Shed
- Cycling Health
- Cycling Safety and Advocacy
- Women's Cycling
- Bike & Gear Reviews
- Cycling Trade
- Stolen Bikes
- Bicycle FAQs
- The Market Place
- Member to Member Bike and Gear Sales
- Want to Buy, Group Buy, Swap
- My Bikes or Gear Elsewhere
- Serious Biking
- Audax / Randonneuring
- Retro biking
- Commuting
- MTB
- Recumbents
- Fixed Gear/ Single Speed
- Track
- Electric Bicycles
- Cyclocross and Gravel Grinding
- Dragsters / Lowriders / Cruisers
- Children's Bikes
- Cargo Bikes and Utility Cycling
- Road Racing
- Road Biking
- Training
- Time Trial
- Triathlon
- International and National Tours and Events
- Cycle Touring
- Touring Australia
- Touring Overseas
- Touring Bikes and Equipment
- Australia
- Western Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Victoria
- ACT
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Country & Regional
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users
- All times are UTC+10:00
- Top
- Delete cookies
About the Australian Cycling Forums
The Australian Cycling Forums is a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.
Bicycles Network Australia
Forum Information
Connect with BNA
Brought to you by Bicycles Network Australia | © 1999 - 2024 | Powered by phpBB ®
This website uses affiliate links to retail platforms including ebay, amazon, proviz and ribble.
This website uses affiliate links to retail platforms including ebay, amazon, proviz and ribble.