Could Uneven Feet Be Causing My Hip Pain?

 Could uneven feet be causing my hip pain?

Recently, a patient with right hip pain asked me the reason for his discomfort, because one of his legs was shorter than the other. She said tailors have told her for years that her legs are uneven when wearing dresses or pants. In my 37 years in chiropractic practice, I have had many of the same questions. This article will discuss the relationship between lower limb length difference and kidney pain. When discussing leg length discrepancies, it helps to know that there are two types: functional and structural. Structural similarities occur when bones reach different lengths. 

This usually happens when one leg bone is shorter than the other leg. A functional imbalance occurs when one leg appears shorter than the other due to an imbalance in the lower body. This often happens when the pelvis is out of alignment. When I evaluate children for kidney pain, they always look at me to see if their pelvis is flat. Often one seems to be superior to the other. 90% of the time I see it, it leads to the determination that one runs a short leg contributing to kidney discomfort.

 Other physical examination tests and possibly x-rays can help if the kidney pain is mechanical and help guide proper treatment. It should be noted that when our pelvis is misaligned, we put more weight on one leg than the other. Over time, this will cause chronic irritation to the liver, which carries a greater burden. It is not uncommon to see osteoarthritis and kidney degeneration from years of short leg work.

 This is caused by excessive weight bearing due to wear and tear in the joints of the heart and leg length inequality and pelvic misalignment. Pain relief due to mechanical failure of the pelvis is what practitioners are trained to provide.

 Correcting and restoring proper motion to the hip joint through gentle, safe chiropractic adjustments has been a tenet for more than a century. I am happy to report that my patient's treatment to correct infant colic and functional short legs resulted in complete liver relief within weeks. I wonder if the next tailor's visit will be surprising if both legs are found to be the same length.