Lift on skate

[McDingman 0]

Hi there,

I recently found out in an x ray that my left leg is longer than my right. I was given a heel lift for my right shoe. Just wondering if theres anything that can be done to my right skate to balance it out? Is there any material that could go under the holder to make it longer or would i have to order say a longer custom holder? I know there are heel lifts you can get but that would change the pitch forward on my right side and i dont want that. i really dont want to wear the heel lift for my shoe in my skate as it feels awkward and changes the fit. Thanks for any help!

[Gummer12 134]

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/30438-leg-length-discrepency-important-read-for-back-pain/?view=findpost&p=907129&hl=%2Blifts+%2Bskate

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/39240-leg-length-discrepancy/?view=findpost&p=560761&hl=%2Blifts+%2Bskate

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/36651-lifts-for-lldhelp-from-skate-pros/?hl=%2Blifts+%2Bskate

[Tailboard Jockey 25]

My youngest son has a condition where his left leg is about a half inch shorter than his right leg, and he has to have a lift put on his left shoe whenever we buy him new shoes. I had three 1/8" shims put on each tower between the holder and the boot, front and back, of his left skate holder. It worked like a charm. It shouldn't cost very much to get it done. Any hockey shop that does holder replacements should be able to do it for you.

[smu 29]

My youngest son has a condition where his left leg is about a half inch shorter than his right leg, and he has to have a lift put on his left shoe whenever we buy him new shoes. I had three 1/8" shims put on each tower between the holder and the boot, front and back, of his left skate holder. It worked like a charm. It shouldn't cost very much to get it done. Any hockey shop that does holder replacements should be able to do it for you.

I have not been clinically diagnosed, but my chiropractor feels I have a 6mm or 1/4" shorter right leg. I believe he is correct, but I am also affected by 2 bad incidents of right sided sciatica resulting in the first time some right foot pronation that needed a wedge or orthotic to correct. Then with the second incident late last year, again right sided sciatica occurred, but it now affected the left arch as well and needed orthotics for that. I am left with needing orthotics in both skates (with the left continualyy getting worse) and never having a 1/4" lift put in my right skate. HOW important is that 1/4" as I am ready to quit hockey! For my newer left pronation I have added medially heel wedges inside the skate, but it seems I am chasing it. I am at the point of giving up, as everyone knows if your feet don't feel good or balanced on the ice it not only ruins your skating, but you cannot concentrate on stickhandling, passing and shooting. I am an older guy ready to pack it up. One thing I could add here I have degenerative lower spine issues, perhaps this is leading to pelvis problems that is beyond my control. If there is any help in the Nova Scotia area I would be glad to hear, it seems many LHS don't know too much about pronation issues or how have the ability to fix it. Again, the lift of 1/4" lift was my main issue of concern. Thanks.

[MThockeydad 469]

Go to a good orthopedist and find out how much and where you need lift.

Tell those exact dimensions to your LHS. They shouldn't necessarily know how to diagnose your pronation issues, but they should know how to mechanically fix them if you tell them exactly what you need.

[smu 29]

Hey,

I am still working one this "project" and have been using 6 mm between the holder and skate bottom for the past 5 games. I am also concerned about the pronation that seems to have happened directly from 2 issue with right sided sciatica in 2007 and 2012. Neither arch is bad, but it feels that my pronation gets worse at time and I add small shims medially just in the heel area. I am beginning to think that my pelvis is the cause or something else in that vicinity because I have just had an X-Ray for LLD and my legs are normal. My podiatrist says even so that is a true picture, but functionally my leg is shorter when in use. The hospital was supposed to give me a Scanogram, that is done when you are laying down so that your pelvis, spine etc is allowed to move by gravity not the standing method I went through that tries to make things all line up. I am ordering skates from VH so that I will have my center of gravity directly over my blades, have the boots fit,  and most likely will add the 6mm. Tomorrow I have second appointment with another podiatrist to confirm what I am sure of that my right side is functionally shorter (google this functional versus real)  and then I am going to order, no charge for the lift so says Rob and I have asked for T-nuts so I can move the holders just in case my remote fitting is a little off. If that is the case I will buy some Bont wedgies (all speed skaters know about this stuff why not hockey is beyond me). They have a slit in them and all you do is back off the bolts on the lateral side of the boots and experiment. Remember, if you use wedgies inside the boot they go on the medial side of the heel and if it is on the outside between the holder and boot they go on the lateral side, it's hard to get your head around it but it is right.

 

The big problem is will my pelvis or whatever is bothering me go away and I am left with the lift that I cannot take out. Well, all of my skating problems over the last 8 years and many many ruined games and at 67 I feel I am safe.

 

For those that feel they need heel lifts because they are falling backwards I went through that too. Bauer have one of the flatest blades (- 1 if I am right and need about + 2 pitch) and I was told that given my "posture" in my skates I need either a lot of metal removed from my blades to get a couture right or to put a 1/4" lift outside on both the heels and it worked perfectly. I made a big mistake on my next pair of skates as I bought Bauer once again with LightSpeed Edge holders and the pitch of the blade was the same and this time I have them contoured somewhat, but I am prone to losing it and falling on my ass then my helmet!

 

VH has Easton CXN I believe that has what I need a good pitch. Hopefully in 3 weeks or my skates will feel steadfast on the ice like they used to be and then I can concentrate on other things like handle the puck, I can't wait. I take a size 5 so I get $200 off!

 

By the way I bought the last pair of Bauer skates because one of the cross Canada, LHS indicated they know how to move the holders medially for over pronation, but when I bought them and took the skates to the "expert" he said "oh, there is no room in the heel area in particular to move them at all".  There goes a new pair of skates that I really did not need.

 

And Easton took that feature out of the MLK skate when they made their Makos out of them as they had the ability, whereby you could move your own blades at home easily, but they did not include that very important ability to fix your own pronation in their Mako skate, What a shame, if only I could have had those 3 or 4 years ago and I am really angry at Easton for removing that plus.

 

Alan