Short Leg Syndrome

If you’ve ever been told you have a short leg (anisomelia), it is important to know whether the condition is functional or anatomical. Both types of short leg can cause increased stresses to the pelvis and lumbar spine, often resulting in low back, buttock, hip and leg pain. The pain is often worse when standing, walking or running and can cause complications higher in the spine, leading to shoulder and neck problems and influencing your balance and weight distribution.

Hip, knee, ankle and foot pain, and shin splints, are not uncommon, with a tendency to pull the same muscle repeatedly, despite giving the correct healing time.

Knowing when and how the symptoms started will help your Chiropractor understand the reason for the short leg, which must be assessed and diagnosed before your Chiropractor can begin and recommend the best treatment.

Functional Short leg

This is where both legs are structurally the same length, but there is still an apparent short leg.

Despite symmetrical measurements, a functional short leg may be due to rotation of the pelvis on one or both sides of the sacroiliac joints. It can arise from repeatedly sleeping on one side, carrying items on one side, running clockwise on a track, using the phone on one side, lifting suitcases or carrying children on one side over a period of years.

This causes increased stresses on the muscles, nerves and joints involved, leading to an imbalance in the muscles on one side of your body.

It seems to me, however that there may be a way to combat this. I’m not a doctor, and I can’t stay I have any medical training . But as someone who has been living with plantar fasciitis long-term, I think it’s important to at least offer people an alternative view.

Resolution

Ultimately, understanding the causes of your sciatica or herniated disc is essential . This is because a single treatment will never be sufficient to alleviate your pain. Only a host of treatments that address the root cause of sciatica will provide permanent relief .