I Ordered Special Shoes

[girlfromKorea]

today, I ordered new shoes because length of two legs are different.
I'm not sure whether it will work, but I really hope that my pain on my longer leg will be gone.

Does anybody have this kind of shoes?
If so, can you feel any difference?

[Gail]

Hi Girl from Korea,

I wear a quarter inch shoe lift in my left shoe. Although, a quarter inch may seem like a little...I can really tell the difference when it is not in my shoes. I

I had growth arrest surgery on my right leg 31 yrs ago because there was an inch difference(tibula, fibula and femur all measured different lengths). I wore a one inch built up shoe, then 1/2 inch and then a shoe lift insert until the short leg grew out the length of the other leg. I went about 29 yrs without using any kind of lift.

After spinal fusion surgery, I had to go back to a quarter inch lift in my shoes.

Kindest Regards,
Gail

[green m&m]

Are you sure your leg lengths are different? Due to pelvic tilt, it might seem like the leg lengths are different when in fact, they are the same length... I'd observe carefully how you feel w/ those shoes and if things start bothering you I'd stop using them.

btw, I'm Korean too.. born in korea, but I grew up in the states.

[girlfromKorea]

Now, I got them.

Hi, green m&m
I am really happy to meet Korean here^----^
I don't know whether you can write in Korean, but I will use English(even though I am not good at) for other English-using people.

Actually, years ago, my doctor told me that I could use shoes or pad in shoes if I felt uncomfortable or I felt pain when I walked.
However, I didin't realize whether it was painful, so I didn't buy shoes. Moreover, I didn't feel pain because I spent most of time sitting on the chair in classroom until I graduated from high school.

After I started university, I had to walk or stand when I go to school while I was taking subway(there weren't enough seats in subway in rush hour )
Since last year, I have been feeling pain, so I decided to order shoes.

As you wrote, I think it is because both of different length and pelvic tilt.
Now I got my shoes, and I feel less pain when I put them on.

Thank you for your advice!!!^^

[green m&m]

I'm glad the shoes are helping you :-)

I can read Korean, but can't really write it anymore... I never really had the chance to use Korean (except at home) after I came here ( I was twelve) soo... I lost a lot.

Your English is fine! It's hard to learn another language.. even harder when you aren't immersed in it.

[girlfromKorea]

I think you are lucky to be in U.S. for getting information.
Here in Korea, I can't easily find information on scoliosis and there is few books on scoliosis. Moreover, the few books are just for doctors or med students. and most books are written in English by foreign doctors, so patients who don't know English can't easily read them.

The on-line community I am joining here in Korea is really small comparing to NSF. Being in Korea is bad for scoliosis patients. That's why I found NSF website.

I don't understand well about the English medical terms people are using in this forum, but I am trying to understand them with dictionary.
I hope I can get information and to tell other Korean patients about the imformation that I get from here. Scoliosis is not recognized in Korea yet, and I hope many people to know well someday.

I am studying education and English in university to be an English teacher after I graduate. It is surely not good to have congenital scoliosis and to search for the informations because of scoliosis, but one good thing from scoliosis is that I can improve my English skill visiting and writing in this forum.

Wow,, long story. anyway again, I'm happy and relieved to meet korean here.

[KRIS ATKINSON]

Girl from Korea, nice to meet you! My family loves sharing cultures. My 15 year old son has traveled with People to People Student Ambassadors Charlotte, NC, USA, to the British Isles, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. My daughter is taking Spanish and my son French in high school. My point for this message (besides the excitement of hearing from you in Korea!) is that I wonder if it would help you to receive books I find helpful on Scoliosis, such as Dave Wolpert's book? If you can't get them in Korea, we could possibly send them to you. Either that, or are you able to contact the companies that we order them from here? They are written in English, but Wolpert's book, for instance, is for people like us, not professionals, so you if you can read this email then you should be able to read that book. Kris

[girlfromKorea]

Thank you so much^^

Kris.

I am really excited to meet many people from all over the world from this forum. Understanding English is very good for my career and my looking for information on scoliosis.

Last summer I went to Australia for research from my university.
Visiting English speaking country was little bit nervous for me, but it was wonderful experience. In that respect, I envy your children.

I ordered some foreign books on scoliosis in my university library. when they are delivered, I will try to read them. However, if my university doesn't buy them, I will pay for them and ordered them at amazon. com. If I thought earlier, I could buy them when I visited Australia, but I only focused on sightseeing and research..

Anyway, I thank you for what you wrote.

If you are interested in Korea, I will tell you some websites.

[green m&m]

I think you are lucky to be in U.S. for getting information.
Here in Korea, I can't easily find information on scoliosis and there is few books on scoliosis. Moreover, the few books are just for doctors or med students. and most books are written in English by foreign doctors, so patients who don't know English can't easily read them.

Yeah.. I'm very lucky. I have other medical problems that would not have been addressed if I was in Korea. I'm pretty sure my attitude toward my health would be compeletly different if I had stayed there... I'm so glad more people here are better at accepting or at least tolerant about difference in people.

Hehe.. I learned lots of medical terminology when I did research for scoliosis and my genetic disorder -- I was sixteen soo, that was four years after I came here.. Sometimes I wonder how I was able to understand medical articles/journals and such.