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Treatment for Pain Caused by Leg Length Discrepancy


Blog by Vancouver Orthotics, Hycroft Medical Building (114-3195 Granville St @ 16th Ave) | September 30th, 2016


Leg Length Discrepancy (LLD), or Leg Length Inequality (LLI) occurs when the legs are either different lengths or appear to be different lengths because of misalignment. If the legs are measurably different in length, this can be caused by a birth defect or after a broken leg, serious infection, or damage done to one of the growth plates in the leg. The more common type of LLD is seen when the legs themselves are the same length, but perhaps due to misalignment causes from neuromuscular injuries, one leg or hip is held higher than the other, causing one leg to appear longer. Even a leg length difference as small as a quarter inch can cause difficulty and pain in walking and can manifest as lower back pain, hip and knee pain, uneven gait, and various foot and lower leg problems. If you have been diagnosed with a leg length discrepancy, chances are you have used heel lifts and orthotic inserts in the past. If you’re in need of a new pair, or perhaps you’re not sure if your lower back, hip, knee, or foot pain is being caused by this leg length difference, give us a call today and we’d love to answer your questions about your symptoms and treatment.

Vancouver Orthotics Foot Pain 1

Note from Dr. Michael: Hi everyone! We measure all of our patients for the potential leg length discrepancy on their initial visit to our office. If we see a significant difference we may recommend a heel lift to the short side. Part of our consultation is to determine if a previous injury has occurred that would understandably cause this leg length discrepancy. Less than 1.5cm difference may be within statistical norms and be solved with chiropractic adjustments to the lower back and hips, or through stretching and custom orthotic inserts. Beyond 1.5cm leg length difference, we would want to consider adding a lift to your orthotic insert of having the bottom of your shoe modified with a lift. Let’s discuss further. Call 604-737-3668 for a consultation examination at our office.

Cheers,

Dr. Michael Horowitz, Vancouver Orthotics 

Dr. Michael Horowitz