If one of your legs is slightly longer than the other, you may be wondering if you can correct this issue without surgery—or whether it even needs to be corrected. The good news is that minor discrepancies can usually be treated with non-surgical means, like at a chiropractor's office. Even if you aren't experiencing pain or gait issues, it can be a good idea to get evaluated since even a small difference such as 2 centimeters can increase the risk of osteoarthritis and wear and tear on the knees or hips. Take a look at why you might have developed LLD and how a chiropractor could help you address this condition.
What Causes LLD?
LLD can be divided into two categories: functional LLD and structural LLD. People with functional LLD actually have leg bones that are the same length, but there may be discrepancies because of another area of the body. For instance, posture issues, like tilting the shoulders or pelvis, can cause functional LLD. Knees that are hyperextended on one side can also cause the issue. Sometimes, people may over-train one major muscle group which can cause muscle imbalances in the opposing group, which again, can lead to functional LLD.
Structural LLD occurs when either the shin bone or the thigh bone is shorter in one leg than the other. Juvenile arthritis and growth plate injuries can lead to this type of LLD. If you broke or fractured one of your legs, then there can sometimes be an overgrowth of bone tissue during the healing phase that can cause structural LLD.
Functional LLD is more likely to respond to chiropractic treatment, but a doctor may also recommend conservative treatments for mild or moderate structural LLD cases before resorting to surgery.
How Can a Chiropractor Help?
To help with functional LLD, a chiropractor will take various measurements and imaging tests to find discrepancies in your legs, hips, pelvis, knees, and spine. Your chiropractor can then make spinal adjustments that are specific to your anatomy. To make sure that the spinal adjustments are maintained, your chiropractor can also fit you with a brace or orthotics.
For example, if you work at a computer all day or have a sedentary lifestyle, your shoulders may tilt forward, which may result in spinal twisting and LLD. Your chiropractor can fit you with a back brace that gently corrects a shoulder slump.
If you have a mild or moderate structural LLD, your chiropractor can fit you with orthotics. Orthotics will help to raise the shorter leg so that you don't experience premature wear and tear on your joints. Orthotics can also help support knock knees, fallen arches, and other biomechanical issues that are exacerbating the LLD.
Lastly, your chiropractor may prescribe at-home stretches and strengthening exercises to make sure that both legs have the proper range of motion and to make sure you aren't favoring one side. For instance, if your LLD is caused by a pelvic tilt, then your chiropractor may have you stretch out the quadratus lumborum, adductors, and glute muscles.
Reach out to a chiropractor such as O'Fallon Pain Relief Associates today to learn more about how to treat LLD.
