San Diego Chiropractor Explains The Common Cause Of Having A Short Leg
Do you have unexplained hip, knee, or back pain? The underlining cause might stem from having a short leg. A short leg will cause excessive stress on joints and can add to muscle imbalances because it makes your weight distribute unevenly throughout your body. Ask any doctor who treats chronic back pain and they will agree, that correcting the short leg is the first approach to correcting the problem.
The hip is a ball and socket joint. It allows for a variety of movements of the leg, so it relies heavily on the muscles of the lower back, the leg and buttocks for support. The condition of each of these supporting muscles, will determine the angle at which the femur head sits in its socket. If problems with any of the muscles on one side of the body cause the neck of the femur to draw up or downwards, it will affect the length of that leg. This causes the pelvis to tilt and other muscles and bones in the body to compensate.
Because of our active lifestyle these days, injuries can occur easily. Whether it be from an accident or from overuse of a joint for a specific sport, the wear and tear of repetitive movements will compound with the existing short leg, causing compromised performance. If left untreated you can develop frequent muscle spasms and even chronic pain.
Whether any problem with these muscles or joints become permanent or not depends largely on things like posture, stress levels and whether the original problem is given the correct treatment at the time. When the correct treatment is not received, the supporting muscles don’t do their job properly and so excessive wearing of the hip or knee joint can happen, resulting in the need for joint replacement surgery later in life, something I am sure no one would want to go through.
Once a person has a short leg their pelvis is drawn down on that side and up on the other. This causes tension in the spine and in the erector spinae muscles of the back. When this happens it’s possible for the spine to curve and some of the vertebrae to become twisted or tilted especially in people with weak muscles. This is often the underlying cause of back pain, scoliosis, or facet syndrome. If you see one of your shoulders higher than the other when you look in the mirror or if one leg of your pants is always longer on one side, go see your local chiropractic doctor and see if he/she can help you correct your problem for good!
Want to discover more information about back pain, then New Century Spine Centers site on how to choose the best chiropractor for your needs.