The doctor named the reasons for the different length of the legs

In many cases, different leg lengths are formed in childhood and adolescence. It often has an innate character, Olga Chizhevskaya, executive director of the Podiatry League Association of Medical Centers and Doctors, told Izvestia on May 14.

"Sometimes different leg lengths are the result of bone fractures. Children are more sensitive to injury than adults. Damage to the cartilage tissue of their growth zones leads to a slowdown in bone growth in length," the expert noted.

Chizhevskaya added that orthopedists often have to deal with functional shortening. In these cases, the length of the bones of both legs is the same. But due to diseases, injuries, congenital deformities of the spine or pelvis, the lower limbs are in different positions, and one leg looks shorter. The situation is similar, according to her, with flat feet.

Another common cause of functional shortening is damage to tendons, muscles, and articular cartilage in athletes, the expert added.

According to her, normally, with the same length of legs, the center of gravity of the body coincides with the vertical axis drawn strictly in the middle of the body. With a difference in length, the median axis deviates towards the shortened limb.

"This means that a short leg will experience more stress than a longer one. Because of this, the cartilage tissue of the joints wears out faster. This is manifested by arthrotic changes in the knee and ankle joints of the shortened limb. Plantar fasciitis or heel spur develops here due to the increased load on the heel," the doctor explained.

However, the elongated limb also suffers. The longer leg is constantly in a slightly bent position. Because of this, the pelvic bone on the elongation side is displaced. As a result, the load on the hip joint increases. This leads to coxarthrosis, hip arthrosis, and an elongated limb.

"Due to the misalignment of the pelvis, scoliosis is formed, a lateral arched curvature of the spine in the lumbar region. There is pain in the lower back. Due to the different length of the legs, gait is disrupted. The time of support on the long leg increases. To even out your gait, you have to strain the muscles of your torso and limbs, which are normally not involved when walking. To compensate for lumbar curvature, scoliosis is formed in the thoracic and cervical regions. In a curved neck, nerves and blood vessels that supply blood to the brain are compressed. As a result, there is a neck and headache with general weakness, sleep is disrupted," the expert emphasized.

With a length difference of 5 mm or less, the body copes with the consequences of a modified configuration of the musculoskeletal system. With a magnitude of 6 mm or more, signs of short leg syndrome appear, Chizhevskaya added. According to her, this difference occurs in 40-70% of people. But the real figure is even higher.

The doctor also noted that the manifestations of short leg syndrome depend not only on the difference in length, but also on physical activity.

"In track and field athletes, the load on the lower extremities increases threefold. Therefore, the difference in leg length of 3 mm will be felt in them as well as 9 mm in people who lead a normal lifestyle with moderate activity," she explained.

At the same time, surgical interventions on the bones and joints of the lower extremities are required only with pronounced changes and a large difference in length.

"In most cases, short leg syndrome is treated conservatively, without surgery. The standard treatment method is elevator therapy. Its essence lies in placing a beveled insert under the heel of the shortened leg. Thanks to this device, the length difference is eliminated. But this method is applicable with a difference of 5-10 mm, podiatrists recommend compensating for a large difference by building up the sole of the shoe from the side of the short leg," Chizhevskaya clarified.

The expert also said that custom-made orthopedic insoles are effective and convenient for a more even distribution of the load.

Earlier, on April 11, Dmitry Stavtsev, a surgeon and phlebologist at SM Clinic, told Izvestia that "vascular asterisks" are not an independent disease and in most cases are just cosmetic discomfort. However, sometimes they can appear with hormonal changes, metabolic disorders, and also be one of the manifestations of certain diseases.