What causes one leg shorter than the other?
There are many different reasons to have a leg length discrepancy, but there are two main causes: 1) your child was born with a condition that caused one leg to grow slower than the other or 2) something happened during your child’s lifetime that affected the length of the bone (i.e. a fracture) or affected the growth …
Can having one leg shorter than the other cause problems?
A leg length discrepancy may be functional or structural in nature. Minor discrepancies often cause no symptoms or problems. However, moderate-to-severe asymmetry may cause issues with walking and posture, and it can contribute to hip and back pain.
How do you fix if one leg is shorter than the other?
What are the treatments for leg length discrepancy? Small leg length difference can be observed or treated with a shoe lift. Larger leg length differences may require surgery. Options for this include slowing down or stopping the growth of the longer leg or lengthening the shorter leg.
What problems can a shorter leg cause?
Having one leg shorter than the other puts additional weight and stress on one side. It throws the body out of balance, resulting in problems with the joints throughout the body. Without treatment, SLS can cause more serious health conditions and pain.
Can uneven leg length cause back pain?
Those who suffer from functional leg length discrepancy are those who tend to suffer from lower back pain. The Academy of Clinical Massage shares that tight back muscles on the “short side” are often the cause of the leg length difference.
Can short leg syndrome be fixed?
Anatomical short leg is diagnosed when one leg is longer and can be corrected with a heel lift in a custom-made orthotic for the shoe of the short leg created after a series of X-ray measurements. It is very rare.
Can uneven leg length cause hip pain?
Unequal leg lengths cause the pelvis to move abnormally. This is evidenced by the waddling gait of someone with a hip problem. This waddling gait helps remove pressure on the painful hip. With leg-length discrepancy, either hip joint can cause pain, and usually both hip joints hurt to some degree.
Can uneven leg length cause sciatica?
A slipped disc that pushes on the nerves and degenerative disk disease are common causes of sciatica. If you have poor biomechanics, such as flat feet (pronation) or Leg Length Discrepancy your sciatic pain may be as a consequence of the way you walk (your gait).
How do you fix leg length discrepancy?
Leg length discrepancy between 2 and 5 cm can be equalized. This can be achieved by shoe lift and/or insoles. Alternatively, an intramedullary lengthening nail can be used for leg length equalization. In skeletally immature patients, it is possible to treat differences in leg length by growth arrest.