Massage Works Dandenong Ranges
Have you been assessed for structural leg length discrepancy?
…and I do not mean a cursory glance at the ankles. Of course they are aligned. We walk on flat ground. If the legs are different lengths, the ground does not move to accommodate it, look higher to the pelvis and hips for sign of permanent distortion.
While I encounter the occasional juvenile or young adult adversely affected by structural leg length discrepancy, it typically begins to have a greater impact as we age…becoming sedentary, heavier and stiffer. It is compounded by the presence of lumbro-sacral injury. The body’s response to right leaning pelvic tilt are the three Cardinal Signs of Short Right Leg Syndrome…anterior rotation of the left hip, rigidity at the right hip, and mild scoliosis of the spine. Living with it all our life, it is a subtle thing and we are usually unaware of it. Typically, we have not been assessed for this structural difference.
Chiropractors and Osteopaths frequently identify functional discrepancy and make corrective adjustments. However, close examination of structural leg length is rarely done. Due to evolutionary adaptation, a structurally short right leg is a dominant genetic trait, see; "Evolutionary Adaptation" and "Mechanics of Baby Carrying." No quick manipulation or correcting adjustment can be made for a structural discrepancy. The bones are different lengths from side to side. It leads to a raft of lower limb and spinal conditions. In advanced stages, leg function degenerates accompanied by overwhelming rheumatic knee pain, Bladder meridian pain through the right lower limb, and fluid retention in the ankles and feet, low back and hip pain, plus stiffness through the thoracic spine limiting ability to rotate and look over the shoulder. Moving like Frankenstein, these advance cases face the prospect of retirement from active life. Advanced stage cases are rare in my practice but I am sure if I were to frequent retirement homes I would sight many. Lower level cases with chronic and acute levels of pain and dysfunction through the spine, pelvis and lower limbs are common.
It is all about the energy. Biomechanical and neurological impact from a structurally short leg is minimal and is typically dismissed by conventional therapists. The body will adapt, they say. However, the chronic strain on soft tissue of the pelvis and spine blocks energetic Qi flow and proves to be the underlying cause for many mobility conditions that are not well understood and for which treatment outcomes are poor.
Symptomatically, flexibility through the Pelvis is preventative. The committed Yoga practitioner or dancer manages well…many of us do not have this dedication or have lost the capacity to do so. Massage, acupuncture, cupping, adjustments and other therapies give limited temporary relief. Rehab exercise and treatment is beneficial but in the presence of chronic pain and acute injury it is almost like we always have to insert a small adjusting heel lift under the short leg.