• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

Is Leg-Length Inequality Causing Saddle Sores?

Question: I’ve been riding for 10 years and suffer from chronic saddle sores on my left sit bone. I understand that a leg-length discrepancy can cause sores on the short-leg side. My left leg is about 3/8 inch shorter than my right. I’ve tried many position and equipment changes but nothing has worked. Can you help? — Paul D.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies: It sounds like your short leg makes you sit crooked on the saddle, irritating the same area all the time. But other factors can contribute, too. You may have overpronation in one foot, low-back misalignment, or even something as simple as an old saddle that’s broken down in the area where you get the sores.

The best way to determine if you really have a leg-length inequality is to get your leg bones measured professionally. You also need an analysis to see if you have a “functional” leg-length inequality. This means that your legs are actually the same length, but due to other biomechanical factors (such as pronation) your legs’ effective reach to the pedals is unequal. Therefore, pressure concentrates on one sit bone.

Andy Pruitt’s Medical Guide for Cyclists, available in the RBR Bookstore, covers this issue in detail. It has instructions on how to shim a cleat if you do, in fact, have legs of unequal length. Also check out the other related titles in the Medical and Technical sections of our Bookstore.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • ‘Connect’ to Diet-Reverses-Diabetes Study: Even If You Don’t Have the Disease
  • My New Bike: Trek Checkpoint SL 5
  • Weak Muscles Predict Accelerated Aging, Disability and Death
  • Rolflex Muscle Recovery Tool Quick Review

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 1053

Newsletter Issue No. 1052

Newsletter Issue No. 1051

Newsletter Issue No. 1050

Newsletter Issue No. 1049

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in