Question
Alright, I'm going to try and lay this out as simply as possible.

About me: I have always been an athlete, and have always been active. I have worked out
since I was in the 9th grade and have played football, basketball, soccer, track, wrestling,
racquetball, you name it. I had never been seriously injured (besides one ankle sprain and a
torn labrum) until last year.

During the first week of October 2009, I was playing racquetball and injured my back. For
six weeks I didn't go to a doctor to see if it would heal on its own, but it did not. I
could not get much sleep and both my sides and back were aching 24/7. So I finally went to a
doctor who dealt with back injuries (he was an Osteopath). I went to him several times and
he realigned my back but still it hurt and didn't seem to be getting better.

In December I went to another chiropractor, and after taking one (1) x-ray of me standing he
said that my hips were out of alignment because of a short leg, and gave me some heel lifts.
The first was 5mm, then 7mm, then 9mm. Later in March I went to another doctor who referred
me to Physical Therapy to strengthen my core, which I did for 7 weeks. During that time I
also got x-rayed and a lower back MRI from the hospital, but they revealed nothing.  After I
got home from University my arch and achilles started to hurt, so I took out the heel lift
(9mm at this point). I went to another doctor and he said that I probably injured my spine
right at the base where I was twisting during racquetball. He said it was a common injury
type for that kind of motion -- racquet sports/quarterback (which I played).

Right now I just have generic athletic arch support insoles in my shoes and my foot, ankle,
calf, and hip are bothering me, as well as my back. I have never had problems with my foot
or hip before (and my left side is perfectly fine), and they were not hurting until I had
used the heel lift. I called the chiropractor who gave me the lifts and he said that he had
never heard of negative side effects of the heel lifts and that he had been using them for
10 years.

I just don't know what to do from here. Whenever I jog my right leg (the one I wore the heel
lift in, and I am also right handed) fatigues very fast (especially my calf), and so does my
ankle. My foot and achilles hurt as well, and my hip aches. My right hamstring feels tight
and is much more sensitive to massage where it connects to my buttocks than my left. The
same is true of the outside of my right hip (directly below and to the side of my pelvic
bone). I have to sleep on my back with a pillow beneath my legs or my back and right hip
starts aching (I always used to sleep on my sides).

I have been to 2 chiropractors and 3 doctors and to physical therapy and I just won't
believe this is the best I can feel at 21. I am also convinced that the heel lift really
hurt me, and the fact that the chiropractor I went to hadn't heard of serious side effects
is just ridiculous. It has been a year of this near constant pain, although milder now
(except in my foot, ankle, and hip), but I guess I just wanted to know if you had any advice
for me. Would orthodics help? I think my messed up foot (thanks to the heel lift) is making
me a lot worse.

Thank you for reading this extremely long post, I am eagerly awaiting the reply.  

Answer
Teddy,

Amazing!  All that care and nobody hit a bullseye.  Heel lifts can cause a lot of problems.  Looking at an x-ray is no way to determine if your leg is short. That's preposterous.  Even if you did have a shorter limb, you would have to know where it came from, e.g. a short femur, tibia, or is it from one arch more collapsed than another giving the illusion that you have a short limb.  If you have all even-length bones but one arch lower than another, and a heel lift goes in (which tips up only your heel and not your entire foot), then you'll throw off your knees, hips, and lower back!  If you have a short femur, and all else is the same, and you throw in a heel lift, then you will throw your knees out of alingment.  Heel lifts are tricky business.  Orthotics: often more art than science, and with scores of different styles and concepts, you can go crazy.  Most off-the-shelf inserts are just mushy pads that do not promote foot function.  Off-shelf (pre-fab) foot orthotics vary greatly.  Some of the better brands are:  ALINE.com, PowerSteps, and SuperFeet.   For Custom-molded foot orthotics, if you have generally low arches and feet that are not deformed, consider SoleSupports (see my web site, products/services tab).    As for your back, did anyone do a functional examination?  In other words, did they see what dynamic movements cause pain or cause failure?  Something as simple as a lunge can tell you a lot.   Then, did anyone do any soft tissue examination or soft tissue treatment, or did they just crack your bones or do silly therapies like electric stimulation?   Maybe you just didn't find the right provider.    Check out:  www.acbsp.com and www.westhartfordgroup.com for some better-skilled providers.   

I hope this was helpful.

Dr. G