ACME CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC(CASTLE HILL)
KINGS PARK CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC

Tag: scoliosis

Kings Park Chiropracticscoliosis
By Brian Sin Chiropractic

Can a Chiropractor Help with Uneven Leg Length?

Introduction

In routine chiropractic practice, a common inquiry following the diagnosis of leg length discrepancy is whether it can be corrected. The answer to this question is not straightforward, as it depends on the specific type of leg length discrepancy present. This article aims to provide clarity and address any concerns you may have regarding this issue.

What is Leg Length Discrepancy?

Uneven leg length, or leg length discrepancy (LLD), is a condition where one leg is shorter than the other. This discrepancy can lead to various health issues, including posture imbalances, gait abnormalities, and chronic pain, particularly in the lower back, hips, and knees. Chiropractors, specializing in musculoskeletal health, can play a significant role in managing and treating LLD.

Understanding Leg Length Discrepancy

Types of Leg Length Discrepancy:

  1. Structural (Anatomical) LLD: This occurs when there is an actual difference in the length of the bones in the legs. It can be congenital or the result of injury or surgery.
  2. Functional LLD: This type results from muscle imbalances, joint dysfunction, or pelvic misalignment, where the bones are the same length, but one leg appears shorter due to these factors.

Chiropractic Assessment and Treatment

Assessment: A chiropractor begins with a thorough assessment to determine whether the LLD is structural or functional. This may include:

  • Physical Examination: Assessing posture, gait, and alignment.
  • Imaging: X-rays or other imaging techniques to measure leg length and identify structural issues.
  • Leg Length Measurement: Techniques such as the Allis test or Galeazzi test to determine the extent of the discrepancy.

Treatment: Chiropractors can address LLD through various methods:

  1. Spinal Adjustments: To correct misalignments of the spine or pelvis that contribute to functional LLD.
  2. Pelvic Adjustments: To realign the pelvis and reduce the apparent leg length discrepancy.
  3. Custom Orthotics: Shoe inserts to help level the leg length difference, especially in structural LLD.
  4. Muscle Strengthening and Stretching: Exercises to improve posture and alignment.
  5. Lifestyle Modifications: Advice on posture, ergonomics, and exercises to manage symptoms.

Impact of Leg Length Discrepancy on Health

Posture Imbalances: LLD can cause significant posture imbalances. The body compensates for a shorter leg by adjusting spinal and pelvic alignment, which may lead to a tilted pelvis and spinal curvature (scoliosis). Over time, these imbalances strain muscles, ligaments, and joints, leading to poor posture and musculoskeletal issues .

Gait Abnormalities: A discrepancy in leg length affects gait patterns. The shorter leg often bears more weight, leading to uneven strides and increased stress on the muscles and joints. This altered gait can result in inefficient walking, increased energy expenditure, and higher risk of conditions such as shin splints .

Chronic Pain:

  1. Lower Back Pain: Common due to uneven weight distribution and altered spinal alignment. The shorter leg side may experience increased strain, leading to chronic lower back pain .
  2. Hip Pain: Pelvic tilting associated with LLD can cause uneven loading of the hip joints, leading to hip pain and conditions such as osteoarthritis .
  3. Knee Pain: The altered gait from LLD places extra stress on the knee joints, which can cause pain and conditions like patellofemoral pain syndrome .

Side-Specific Issues:

  • Shorter Leg Side: Often bears more weight, leading to increased stress and pain in the lower back, hip, and knee on that side.
  • Longer Leg Side: May experience broader compensatory issues due to pelvic tilting and spinal misalignment .

Prevalence and Threshold: Leg length discrepancy is common, affecting about 70% of the population, though most discrepancies are less than 1 cm (10 mm). Discrepancies greater than 10 mm are more likely to cause noticeable symptoms and health issues. Smaller discrepancies often do not result in significant health problems, while larger ones tend to have more pronounced effects .

Conclusion

Chiropractors can effectively address uneven leg length, particularly when it involves functional issues. Through a combination of spinal and pelvic adjustments, custom orthotics, and targeted exercises, chiropractic care can help alleviate symptoms, improve posture, and enhance overall function. For structural LLD, while chiropractic care alone may not completely correct the discrepancy, it can significantly reduce associated symptoms and improve quality of life.

By tim.huang Chiropractic, Claim and Coverage, Massage, Our Services, Remedial Massage, Service Areas, Well-Being-Life

What Do Chiropractors Do For Scoliosis? Chiropractor Near Me

Do you have significant asymmetrical shoulder height or a lump on the back? If you can see asymmetry in different parts of the body, you probably have scoliosis. Scoliosis is a abnormal sideways curvature of the spine that is a three dimensional deformity. The Cobb angle is worldwide used measurement to show the degree of the lateral curvature.

The Codd angle that is equal to or greater than 10 degrees accounts for 2 to 3 percent of the population while the curves more than 40 degrees are only 0.1 percent. Scoliosis patients are more common on girls than boys.

Types Of Scoliosis

  • Idiopathic
  • Infantile idiopathic scoliosis (birth to 3 years old) – extremely rare
  • Juvenile idiopathic scolisos (4 to 10 years old)
  • Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (11 to 18 years old) – more common
  • Congenital
  • Neuromuscular

A majority of scoliosis is Idiopathic. Children with idiopathic scoliosis is generally healthy and neurologically normal. This most common form of scoliosis occurs with unknown cause but involves a genetic component.

The magnitude of curvature between generations is not relevant. In other words, affected children can have milder or more severe curves than their parents.

Congenital scoliosis is the result of failure vertebral or/and segmental development during the first trimester of pregnancy. Congenital genitourinary malformations and congenital heart disease occur in 20% and 15% of children with congenital scoliosis, respectively. Spinal dysraphism such as spina bifida occulta and myelomeningocele is also highly associated with congenital scoliosis patients.

Neuromuscular disorders lead to muscle imbalance, soft tissue contracture and progressive muscle weakness. Scoliosis is one of the complications of neuromuscular disorders. The magnitude of scoliosis is in proportion to the progression of diseases and muscle weakness.

Clinical Presentations

  • Asymmetry in the posterior rib cage and anterior ches wall
  • Uneven shoulder height
  • Uneven waist and hip
  • Apparent leg length discrepancy
  • Flank asymmetry

Curve Progression

Before skeletal maturation

  • Premenarchal girls with 20 to 30 degrees curve compared to menarchal girls with the same degrees: highly likely to progress
  • >25 degrees: continue to progress
  • After skeletal maturation
  • <30 degrees: unlikely to progress
  • >45 or 50 degrees: continue to progress (1-2 degrees per year)

Chiropractic Consultation – Early Detection And Monitor Of Scoliosis – Chiropractor Near Me

Early detection of scoliosis is crucial and prevent the fast progression of scoliosis during adolescent growth spurt. For adolescents who have family history or signs of scoliosis, it is necessary to examine any abnormality of the spine. Adam’s forward bend test is the most widely used screening exam to detect scoliosis. 

The test is performed with the patient’s shirt off. The patient is instructed to hold their palms together and to bend forward with knees and elbows in extension. The feet are put together. The experienced health professional standing behind the patient observes any abnormality of the spine and an asymmetry of the trunk.

If there is a suspection of scoliosis, patients with scoliosis requires full spine x-ray. Before skeletal maturity when reach 18 years old, curve can progress. Monitoring curve progression is vital to provide sufficient treatment options. The Cobb angle more than 25 degrees is likely to continue to progress before skeletal maturity.

More than 30 degrees can start wearing a custom asymmetrical brace, which provide support and prevent further progression. If the curve continues to progress and is over 40 degrees, a spinal fusion surgery may be required to realign the curved vetrbae.

Chiropractic Treatment – Chiropractor Near Me

Scoliosis with the Cobb angle less than 45 degrees that does not cause health problems such as the compromise of cadiopulmonary function does not require surgery. However, for long term, neck pain, mid back pain and lower back pain are common on scoliosis patients. As a consequence of the rotated and curved spine, it causes biomechanical changes in the spine loading.

Asymmetrical weight distribution and loading to the spine will stress the vertebral discs, joints and postural muscles unevenly. In scoliotic spine, the superior, inferior and the apex of vertebra bear more weight than other vertebra. Therefore, subluxation always occurs in these affected vertebra.

Chiropractic adjustment can help to reduce the pain caused by scoliosis due to the realignment of the spine and the removal of restriction. Furthermore, chiropractic manipulation may prevent the progression of scoliosis. Apart from manual therapy, the doctor of chiropractic will prescribe a exercise program to improve muscle imbalance in the treatment plan. However, chiropractic care can treat scoliosis symptoms not fix it.

Chiropractic Clinic Services Suburbs – Chiropractor Near Me

Kings Park NSW 2148

Kings Langley NSW 2147

Blacktown NSW 2148

Quakers Hill NSW 2763

Stanhope Gardens NSW 2768

Rooty Hill NSW 2766

Seven Hills NSW 2147

Kellyville NSW 2155

Marsden Park NSW 2765

Schofields NSW 2762

The Ponds NSW 2769

Rouse Hill NSW 2155