Hip Pain
There are many different forms of hip pain and several ways in which your feet can influence the function of your hips. For instance, excessive pronation, or rolling in of the heel/ankle, causes internal leg rotation, which places strain on the hip joint.
Pronation also causes the pelvis to drop on that side, making that leg functionally shorter. If there is unequal pronation in both feet the pelvis will be out of balance, causing stretching of one hip joint and jamming of the other.
Now, just to confuse you a little bit, unequal pronation from left foot to right foot can be a sign that one leg is longer than the other, and can actually help keep your pelvis balanced.
Your podiatrist can assess whether your hip pain is due to one leg being truly longer than the other, or if the function of your feet are causing hip malalignment. A comprehensive computer gait analysis will also identify muscle imbalances around the hip.
Depending on the cause of your hip pain your podiatrist will either outline a treatment plan to reduce hip malalignment and consequential discomfort or they may refer you to a sports physiotherapist to address any muscular imbalances. At times, both are required.
