Have you been feeling off balance lately? Do you have lower back pain? Do you have a short leg?

I always look at my patients legs/feet when they are laying on the adjusting table. I learn a lot about what is going on with a person’s spine from observing their legs.

When one leg is shorter than the other, like the picture on the left, it tells me there is something going on with the person’s spine that needs to be addressed. This patient you see in the picture has been suffering from lower back pain for the past 3 months with no relief.

I discovered he needed an adjustment at L5 which is the very bottom of his spine right above the sacrum. After I adjusted his back I took the picture on the right. You can see how much more balance this created in his body and spine.

What Causes a short leg?

This question is not so simple to answer. The short answer is that it is usually many different factors. Things like poor posture, habitual leg crossing, a fall on the tailbone, a lower extremity injury that changes how you walk, muscle spasms, sciatica, or even a tight muscle or neck injury can do it.

The key is to have a trained chiropractor examine your spine to determine why this condition presents itself and then more importantly, correct that issue.

Very rarely is the shorter leg due to one leg being anatomically shorter than the other. It is most commonly a neuromuscular issue causing this problem.

If you are feeling out of balance or if you have noticed one pant leg doesn’t line up with the other one (common things people tell me in my office) then it’s time to get it checked out!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Steve Bourdage DC