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How to help a man with different lengths of legs?

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
 
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People who have one foot shorter than the other, in fact, not so much a rarity. You in fact often saw an adult who goes jumping gait? A child who does not want to play with friends, because "funny" limps? In this seemingly insoluble problem, orthopedic supports for different lengths of legs will help.

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Children with different lengths of legs - at risk

According to numerous studies, those children whose height of the longitudinal arch of the foot is asymmetric, in 15-20% is combined with scoliosis of different species. More vulnerable to these conditions are girls - they are more likely than boys to suffer from postural and flat foot disorders. This is explained by the more inactive way of life of girls.

The most dangerous for scoliosis diseases is the way of life - from 10 to 14 years - adolescence. At this time, the skeleton of the child is not yet formed, but the load on it is increasing. The child often sits bending over the desk during the lessons, and then still at home, when preparing homework. It is at this age that a boy or girl 7-9 years old develops scoliosis - the statistics registered up to 30% of such children.

Children aged 10 to 1 4 years suffer from the initial stages of scoliosis in 40% of cases, and at the age of 15-17 this indicator is also very high - it is almost 35%. The earlier doctors diagnose scoliosis in a child, the earlier you can begin to treat it. And there are still good chances to fix the curvature of the spine and the related foot deformities.

And one more thing: the earlier the child's scoliosis is revealed, the earlier it is possible to work with a shortened leg, compensating for this deficiency with the help of orthopedic footwear. Parents should be aware that the earlier children will be diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 8 to 10 years, the earlier can be removed deviations in the posture and arch of the foot, because the course of scoliosis, according to statistics, significantly worsens in the next 2-4 years, up to 12 years.

The fact that posture at this age worsens is explained simply: at this time the child is intensively growing, and this growth is not evenly distributed, with nets. Progression of this dangerous disease and foot deformities usually slows down, and sometimes ends at 14 years.

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Adults with different length of legs - at risk

The largest group of adults who suffers especially from scoliosis and associated foot deformities are people after 50 years old. At this time, the bone tissue grows old and collapses, especially in the case of an incorrect lifestyle associated with smoking and poor nutrition, as well as increased stress on the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, in people over 50, often a change in the length of the intervertebral disc - it deforms.

Pelvic bones are skewed due to the fact that one limb (leg) becomes shorter than the other. Therefore, the disk between the vertebrae wears out, it does not work well, this aggravates the poor posture, leading to an imbalance of the left and right parts of the body. Especially the lumbar muscle, which is called the square muscle, is at the bottom of the back). In this chain includes also maternity, clavic, staircases, so the intervertebral nerves are squeezed, many parts of the body, in particular, the spine, hurt, and the person continues to hump even more. Poor posture in people over 50 is accompanied by uneven, jumping or limping gait, deformation of the feet.

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The consequences of different lengths of legs

In a child (especially small), the height of the longitudinal arches of the foot is asymmetric, which ultimately leads to a scoliosis of the spine. Scoliosis is called the curvature of the spine in any one direction. Unlike the usual violation of the child's posture (the child is wrong standing or sitting hunching, his muscle tone is disturbed) scoliosis destroys the structure of the muscles, bones, ligaments and cartilages that have not yet fully formed in the child. Therefore, scoliosis leads to an incorrect distribution of the load and an incorrect distribution of support points, and the child develops a deformity of the foot, in particular - flat feet.

Scoliosis is dysplastic (impaired metabolism in vertebral tissues by the type of twisting) and static. All this together causes a jumping gait because of the different length of the child's legs. As for adults, they have different lengths of legs can lead to gross violations of the structure of the skeleton. From this, the muscles, ligaments, cartilages develop incorrectly, vertebral discs fall out, the hernia of the vertebral discs begins. Therefore, people with such abnormalities often have a back or stomachache. These pains are long and painful.

When should I go to the doctor?

It is very difficult to understand the different length of the legs of a child or the same. Therefore, with the slightest suspicion of poor posture, the child should always visit an orthopedist or traumatologist for advice and treatment. Very often, with initial signs of scoliosis and deformities of the foot, therapeutic physical activity and dancing, as well as swimming, can help. In order not to miss the initial, unobtrusive signs of deformations of the spine and foot, you need to go to the doctor once a year for preventive examination.

As for adults, they need to keep track of their pain. Especially in the spine and feet. And also to control the gait. If your friends tell you or you feel that your gait has become uneven, leaping or lame, consult a doctor for examination and treatment.

The orthopedist or traumatologist determines how much to compensate for missing leg length. Shortening of the legs (do not panic, this is such a medical term) can be absolute or even relative. To determine the type of shortening, it is necessary to lead the x-ray of the pelvic region, as well as the spinal column. This is done in a standing position. According to this X-ray picture, the doctor will accurately indicate the difference between the length of one leg and the other, analyzing the height of the pelvic joint heads. This will give an opportunity to determine the difference in the length of the legs.

If the shortening of the leg is absolute, full compensation is required, and if relative - requires partial compensation of leg length, up to one third or one second for adults and up to half the length - in children.

How to help a man with different lengths of legs?

First of all, order orthopedic insoles. Such insoles are also called compensatory. They are selected individually, they are manufactured within 20 minutes, the patient will not even have time to leave the polyclinic premises, and the insoles will be ready. They can be picked up immediately. What can you achieve with the help of orthopedic insoles?

  • Stabilize the position of the spine and feet
  • Scoliosis and flat feet cease to develop further
  • Those parts of the spine that have been heavily loaded, now unloaded and can safely recover
  • If the shortening of the legs is too large, not only the orthopedic insoles, but also the arch supports are used. They make it possible to make the posture correct, to unload the spine and feet.

It should be taken into account that a person can get used to insoles and insteps not immediately. A slight discomfort can be felt for 4-5 days wearing insoles. Then the person feels incredible relief: the insole is almost not felt, but the fatigue in the legs develops much more slowly, walking is much more comfortable, there is practically no pain in the legs. Stability in the ankle increases, the load on the knees becomes weaker, and the loin hurts much less.

If within a week the discomfort in the feet and spine does not pass, then the orthopedic insoles are selected and modeled incorrectly. Need a second visit to the orthopedist and other insoles.

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