The symptoms of leg length discrepancy

Many people from all age groups needlessly suffer from discomfort that is caused by leg length discrepancy (LLD). It is a condition of unequal lengths of the lower limbs. The discrepancy could be in the tibia, or femur,or both. It is important to correct immediately, especially in children to prevent nonreturnable damage to the spine due to unequal balance. The symptoms of limb deformity can vary widely, from a slight difference in the appearance of a leg and / or arm to perhaps even a major loss of function of the use of an extremity. For instance, you may notice that your child has a significant limp. If there is deformity in the extremity, the patient may develop arthritis as they get older, especially if the lower extremities are involved. Patients often present due to the appearance of the extremity ie., looks different from the other side.

The symptoms of a leg length discrepancy

The symptoms of leg length discrepancy vary widely. They are often related to the underlying problem causing the discrepancy and the alignment problems that result from it. Everyone experiences different symptoms of this condition. Many people walk around with leg length discrepancy of up to 2 centimeters and not even know it. However,discrepancies above 2 centimeters are more noticeable.

Here are symptoms of a leg length discrepancy:

• -One leg is shorter than the other
• -Problems with stand posture
• -Pain in many parts of body 
• -Gait problems, such as limping, toe-walking, or rotation of the leg
• -A knee that's chronically hyperextended on the short side and flexed on the long side

Correcting walking with a short leg increases energy expenditure during ambulation. It could also result in putting more stress on long leg, and cause functional scoliosis. Therefore it is essential to correct leg length discrepancies. In order to achieve correct measurements for the differences, use a series of blocks or sheets of firm material of varying thickness. Doctors recommend the use of a heel lift by placing them under the shorter of the two limbs either under the heel or the entire foot, depending on the pathology until the patient feels correctly balanced. Putting a heel lift inside the shoe has the advantage of being transferable to many pairs of shoes. It is aesthetically more pleasing as the lift remains hidden from view.

Medically correcting leg length discrepancy

Leg length discrepancies can easily be resolved with the use of shoe lifts, as recommended by doctors and other health professionals. TallerHeels.com has the widest selection available on the market:

Causes of leg length discrepancy

Some patients had leg length discrepancy when they were born. Some may had the discrepancy due to a condition called Hemihypertrophy which causes one side of the body to grow faster than the other. In other cases the leg length discrepancy can be caused by injury, fractures healing in any overlapped position, or infection that stops the growth of the bone.