Do you have one leg longer than the other?

We are not all perfectly symmetrical. We have imbalances throughout our bodies. These can muscular, physical, i.e. bone lengths, and more. Having one limb longer than the other is quite common. One leg longer than the other is also quite common too. While it may not make a difference in how your live your life, it some cases it can lead to pain and as a result significantly affect your lifestyle.

We all have minor aches and pains. Doesn’t matter what our age, we have them from time to time. Then there are others that have experienced more severe injuries. It’s easy to understand an injury that occurs due to a trip or fall and landing funny on our knee or twisting an ankle from an uneven sidewalk but when we wake up one morning with that neck pain or that annoying hip pain it’s just a mystery. There are no exact answers to why you woke up with the pain that morning but the truth is that that hip pain you woke up with has been developing for quite some time. It just decided to make an appearance at this time.

Why are you in pain now? You’ve never had the pain before. Why all of a sudden? The reason lies within the body’s adaptive abilities and potential. The body functions as a single unit with many components. Each component influences and is influenced by other components. Efficient and normal motions occur from integrating all of these components. Human movement is a result of the relationship of the kinetic chain. The kinetic chain includes all bones, muscles and joints of the body. More specifically the lower half: the feet, ankles, legs, knees, hips, pelvis and lower back. This linkage system is made up of many component parts each with their own set of specifications similar to those found for certain machine parts.

In many ways the human body may be thought of as a machine. Unlike a machine the human body has the capacity to compensate for malfunctioning parts, in most cases. The human body is always seeking symmetry. It will do whatever it takes to achieve symmetry including compromising tissue health.  This in turn will upset proper biomechanics of human movement which will affect our everyday movements. The human body will make an effort to seek and follow the path of least resistance. The goal of any movement should be to seek the minimum amount of energy expenditure and maximum joint stability. While walking a smooth progression of the body’s centre of mass during walking is evidence of this. Healthy tissue needs force in order to remain healthy. An optimal amount of stress is required; too much or too little can be destructive. When the tissue’s tolerance to absorb force is exceeded tissue breakdown occurs and inflammation and pain follow.  Once inflammation and pain are present performance will suffer.  Leg length discrepancy is one   condition that impacts healthy tissue. 

Nobody has exact proportions so this is no surprise. However, how much of a discrepancy is significant? There are two types of leg length discrepancies. A structural leg length discrepancy is the anatomical case in which one bone may be longer or shorter than the other. A functional leg length discrepancy refers to the result of something occurring in the body such as a soft tissue contracture or abnormal joint mobility. The most notable functional leg length discrepancy involves the feet. A foot is pronated when more of the body’s weight is on the inside edge of the foot, i.e. little to no arch integrity in the foot. A food is supinated when more of the body’s weight is on the outside edge of the foot, i.e. greater arch integrity in the foot. Generally, a pronated foot creates a shorter leg while a supinated foot creates a longer leg. During the normal gait cycle appropriate amounts of supination and pronation need to occur in order to achieve efficient and effective movement. Being able to differentiate between the two is important. When a structural leg length discrepancy is present by itself the logical option is to level things out and place an appropriate lift under the heel or entire foot of the leg that is shorter. Most research reports that more than 0.25” or even 0.125” difference in leg length can be detrimental especially for runners. Running results in over four times the impact on joints than walking. Treating functional leg length discrepancies require the skill of a medical professional to address soft tissue limitations. These limitations are most prevalent in the pelvis, twisted or tilted in an unusual position. Sometimes custom foot orthotics may be needed in either a structural or functional leg length discrepancy. Asymmetrical foot function may be the cause of leg length discrepancy.

How can Pilates help with one leg longer than the other?

Maintaining muscle strength in the legs and strength in the ‘core’ region will help maintain stability in the pelvic region. Keeping the pelvis stable will help minimize any effects of leg length discrepancy, such as sciatica. Stretching, toning muscles (mat, reformer) in the legs will help prevent injuries related to leg length discrepancies.