Chiropractic and Leg
Length
Because
the spinal cord is housed by the spine and the exiting nerve roots
communicate with the autonomic nerves that basically run our organ
function, maintaining alignment of the spine and pelvis is very
important to minimize nerve irritation and subsequent health-related
problems. The focus of this article is on leg length, its effect on
our posture, methods of assessment, and treatment.
Leg
length plays and important role in posture. When there is a
difference in leg length, the pelvis cannot maintain a level
position, and because the spine’s base is the pelvis, it cannot
stay straight if there is a leg length discrepancy.
Doctors
of all disciplines realize the importance of leg length, especially
orthopedic surgeons as they consider a hip or knee replacement! There
are many causes of leg length issues, and some include a genetic
predisposition (inherited) or trauma during bone growth years.
From
a treatment standpoint, a heel lift (with or without arch supports)
can be placed into the shoe on the short leg side. Unfortunately,
there is not a 1 to 1 mm correction of the leg length deficiency with
heel lifts. In adults, it has been reported that about a 66%
correction occurs, which means a 10 mm lift would result in around a
6.6mm leg length deficiency correction.
Many
doctors have found that it is usually wise to GRADUALLY increase the
amount of heel lifting, and so patients often start with a 5mm lift
and at one week intervals, increase it to the next height, such as
7mm, followed by 9mm, and so on. At 12mm (0.5”), problems with the
heel lift being pushed out of the shoe and/or sliding forwards in the
shoe may prohibit the use of these thicker lifts after which point
the bottom of the shoe can be built up by a shoe cobbler (some
services can be found online as well).
Chiro-Trust.org Schedule online
