Studies show that roughly 40-70% of the world’s population has a leg length discrepancy (LLD), whether they are aware of it or not. While the majority of these LLD cases are mild enough to treat without major surgery, LLDs can affect muscle and bone development, ultimately leading to more significant issues such as stress fractures, gait misalignment, or bone deformities.
While chiropractic care is often the preferred method for treating limb length discrepancies, severe cases can require the help of surgical professionals, orthopedists, or podiatrists. Here, we will explore the causes and effects of LLDs and the multiple avenues professionals use to treat them.
What is a Leg Length Discrepancy?
Leg length discrepancy (LLD) is a condition where one leg is longer than the other. Though often unnoticed, these differences in length can have significant consequences for a person’s health and well-being. When LLD occurs, different leg lengths can misalign the spine and lead to a range of problems, including orthopedic stress fractures, spinal pain, postural issues, and abnormal gait patterns during walking or running.
LLDs can be classified into two main categories:
Structural Limb Length Discrepancies (SLLDs): SLLDs occur when one leg is longer than the other due to underlying conditions such as congenital abnormalities, injuries, or bone diseases. These conditions directly affect the bone’s structure, leading to the length difference.
Functional Limb Length Discrepancies (FLLDs): FLLDs occur when misalignments in the pelvis or spine make one leg appear longer than the other, even though they are the same length. Common causes of FLLDs are muscle tension or low joint mobility, which distort the body’s symmetry.
While surgical intervention is often necessary for structural leg length discrepancies (SLLDs), chiropractors play a crucial role in diagnosing the type of LLD and treating functional leg length discrepancies (FLLDs).
How Are Limb Length Discrepancies Diagnosed?
Diagnosing LLDs involves a combination of physical exams and testing and a thorough investigation of your medical history and previous injuries. Healthcare professionals, such as your primary care provider or chiropractor, will identify painful areas in your limbs, spine, and pelvic regions and then examine your posture, gait, and range of motion.
Diagnostic tests may sometimes be necessary to confirm a diagnosis and rule out any other conditions causing pain or discomfort. These tests may include:
X-rays: By gathering images of your bones, health professionals can determine the actual length differences between your limbs and identify any structural issues that may be causing problems.
MRI or CT Scans: MRI or CT scans are advanced imaging techniques that provide detailed information about your bones, joints, and soft tissues. Suppose you have a history of injuries or illnesses. In that case, these scans can help identify areas of bone damage, such as scars or density changes, and potential underlying conditions like osteoporosis or cancer that may contribute to your symptoms.
Biomechanical Assessments: A biomechanical assessment involves analyzing your movements to identify potential issues or imbalances. By observing you perform activities like walking, running, and standing, healthcare professionals can determine if pain or discomfort in your lower leg (feet, knees, or ankles) affects your overall posture and causes functional problems.
Treatment Options for LLDs
Depending on whether you have a structural or functional LLD, there are various treatment options to consider when treating a leg discrepancy. Structural LLDs are often caused by congenital deformities, bone diseases, and prior injuries, usually making realignment an impossible avenue for chiropractic treatment alone, requiring the help of orthopedists, podiatrists, and surgeons to realign limbs with the body. Healthcare specialists can administer treatment through custom-made shoe inserts, physical therapy, and surgery to correct discrepancies directly at the limb. Once these issues are resolved, chiropractors can then assist with maintaining alignment and making minor changes to benefit your overall health and posture.
Functional LLDs, caused by misalignments in the spine or pelvis, can often be effectively addressed through chiropractic care, which focuses on realigning the body and correcting postural imbalances. Since the hips and spine essentially operate on a “pulley system” of muscles, tendons, and ligaments, increased tension on one side of the body can often create misalignment on the other side of the body. For example, when looking in a mirror, you may notice that when shifting your body weight to your left side, your left hip drops, and your right hip is hiked up. This increased tension on your left side pulls the hips down, causing muscular misalignment.
How Chiropractors Treat LLDs
Chiropractors are able to resolve tension and realign the spine, hips, and legs back to their optimal position by using these techniques:
Spinal adjustments: Spinal adjustments are gentle manipulations that restore proper alignment in the spine. By correcting these misalignments, chiropractors can help alleviate pain and pressure on the spinal column and improve overall function.
Pelvic adjustments: To ensure that the pelvis is aligned with the spine, chiropractors can use tools such as the lumbopelvic drop to adjust the pelvis, lumbar, and thoracic spinal areas. Adjusting and aligning these lower spinal areas can address and correct leg length and overall posture.
Soft tissue therapy: Massage and myofascial release can help to address muscle imbalances and tension. By addressing tension on one side of the body, the “pulley system” is relaxed, balancing tension on both sides to equilibrium.
Lifestyle advice: Chiropractors can also provide lifestyle advice to help those with LLDS, such as posture correction, exercise, and recommendations for ergonomic footwear.
Get Aligned With Governor’s Park Chiropractic
If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in your lower back or legs, consult a qualified healthcare professional or chiropractor for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. By addressing LLDs and their resulting misalignments with your healthcare providers, you can avoid long-term complications and continue living a pain-free and worry-free life.
As one of the best chiropractic clinics in the Denver metro area, Governor’s Park Chiropractic delivers personalized treatment and full-service chiropractic care to those experiencing leg, spine, or musculoskeletal pain issues. Schedule an appointment with us online for one of our Denver, Wheat Ridge, or Lone Tree locations, or call us at (303) 831-1122 to learn more.
Governor's Park Chiropractic is the Colorado chiropractor team dedicated to helping individuals get out of pain and achieve better health. Offering a range of services and treatment options to meet the specific needs of each patient.