Understand The Causes, Types, Effects, And Remedies For Leg Length Discrepancy
Don’t think that it is yet another cooked up story just to grab your attention. But no!! Just take a pause and think if your feet could talk, what would they speak to you? Your primary mode of transport takes a lot of pressure day in and day out and keeps going on. But too often we ignore them which may lead to bizarre health conditions. Especially, people with existing leg length discrepancies shouldn’t ignore the complaints of their feet and act immediately to mitigate the conditions before they worsen.
Before diving further into the subject let’s understand what is Leg Length Discrepancy.
Unequal leg length is also termed leg length inequality, LLI, or leg length discrepancy, LLD is where the legs are either different lengths or appear to be different lengths because of misalignment. The condition has been estimated to affect between 40% and 70% of the population, with at least 1% having a difference greater than 20 mm.
Having understood what LLD or LLI is, let’s understand its causes. Commonly speaking there are varieties of reasons that may cause leg length discrepancy. However, the following are some of the major causes of leg length discrepancy:
1) An injury that damages the cells responsible for bone development
2) Bone diseases like osteomyelitis
3) Bone tumors that infect the growth plate
4) Some children are born with legs that are of unequal length or bowed tibias
5) Hip and Knee Surgeries like knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty (THA)
What are the types of Leg Length Discrepancies?
There are two types of Leg Length Discrepancies known to exist. Such as 1) Structural and 2) Functional Leg Length Discrepancy. The former is considered as the true LLD as in this condition there is a true difference between the length of both the legs but in the case of the latter, only the symmetry is disturbed but not the actual length because one leg is not properly positioned in the hip socket and hangs lower than the other.
How does Leg Length Discrepancy Affect the health of an individual?
Most often people ignore these conditions as it doesn’t pose an immediate health risk but in the long run, it leads to painful conditions. Although the symptoms found in different persons are different, each one having this condition needs to seek the help of a physician for proper diagnosis, and treatment options. Functional scoliosis, limping, toe walking, and pain in the back, hip, or ankle are some of the ways how Leg Length Discrepancy may affect the health of an individual.
What are the remedies for Leg Length Discrepancy?
Though there is a list of treatment options available, you need to visit an orthopedic surgeon for a consultation. Depending on factors like your age, health, medical history, discrepancy level, tolerance towards specific medications, therapies, expectations, and preference for a specific procedure; the surgeon will best suggest a treatment plan.
Some of the procedures are simple but procedures like bone lengthening and bone replacement are quite complex and costly. On the other hand, non-invasive techniques like cost-effective shoe modification, and pain-free procedures are capable enough to produce wonderful results for discrepancies up to 4″ in length. External shoe lifts or orthopedic shoe lifts give outstanding results in managing LLD when done with an orthopedic shoe repair specialist. American Heelers, one of the leading orthopedic shoe repair specialist centers in the USA has been modifying all kinds of shoes such as casual, sports, athletic, kids, etc. at the cheapest prices. Worldwide delivery, quick turnaround time, and flawless shoe modification are the hallmarks of our service. Just give us a call at (216) 378-2686 or email [email protected] to know more about how we can help you.