leg length difference positive, from the hip?(NEED YOU TO READ SOON)

[haven]

i started the other thread, but now i know a lil bit...
i brought ds to the chiropractor today...there is a noticeable difference..he said it seems like his hip is tilted or or the difference is from there...anyway...i am very nervous..because sounds like hip displasia (spelling?) he wanted me to bring him in 3x a week for two months...WOW!!!

i brought him in first of all because the doc. treats for asthma and allergies..? who knew anyway while there i asked him to look...he said he was cronic....i don't know if it is because of the meds...or because of the hip..i was such a mess when he let me know i was right...i loss focus...

if it is from the hip...is that better or worse than actual leg length difference?

[binkybetsy]

I haven't followed the other thread but thought I'd add this , see if it provides a few answers for you. hth

[Potty1]

Haven - me again (BTW Cat me if you'd prefer it's no problem).

Not sure about hip displasia?? Did he explain what that meant? dd has had her discrepancy measured by CT scan. Her surgeon, who is very experienced says its the only way to get a true leg length diff and also to confirm how much is 'compensated' in the hip. Dd has 2 cm 'true' leg length diff (throughout both upper and lower limb) plus some hip compensation - I have this in the written report but haven't yet spoken with him about it so I'm not sure - maybe this is the same as displasia(?) although I doubt it as her hip was probably properly formed at birth. Not sure if chiropractor could help with a 'not properly formed hip' (?). Dd has been offered surgery but not leg lengthening as such to correct her diff and has worn a shoe raise since she walked.

[jmb1964]

Hi - I am not a chiropracor or physio but an ordinary GP, and concerned at how worried you sound - DON'T PANIC!! How old is your ds?
In my experience, chiropractors always seems to detect leg length asymmetry, in adults anyway, but it is notoriously difficult to measure accurately. I would be VERY wary of undertaking costly and lengthy treatment like this for your ds - hip dysplasia as you can see from the link needs proper assessment with investigations like ultrasound scans and possibly X-rays or CT scans, and I would want definite results before letting anyone mess around with his little hips!
I can't think how drugs for asthma/allergies could have caused a hip problem directly, unless he has been on HUGE doses of oral steroids?
See your GP and ask for a referral - good luck!

[californiagirl]

Almost everybody has one hip higher than the other, as you'll find if you sew and do close measurements for fittings. By itself it doesn't mean anything at all. Almost everybody also has a high shoulder, sometimes the same one, sometimes the other. Again, people are just like that. My hips are off by about an inch, my shoulders by 2 inches or more -- it means I always carry my purse on the high shoulder so it doesn't fall off, but that's not exactly a major life limitation.

[haven]

i think maybe i may have been unclear...

i have been worried about my ds unstableness for quite sometime, have posted several threads,,,,but...

the chiro-this started off as just asthma and allergy visit...my cousin said it worked wonders so i figured i would try it out...hell if it keeps ds from having to stay taking weekly shots GREAT!!

in the mean time my dh and i noticed the leg difference and i mentioned it to the chiro and he confirmed it...he then sayed it looked like it was stemming from hip problems...

now, i called the ped as soon as i left the chiro..but no opening till tues..but left message for him to call tomorrow...

i probably come off histaricle because, everytime i talk about things with ped...i get blown off and now ds could (in all reality) have a very big problem because of their lack of attentiveness...

you did mention about steroids,...ds has been on doses and doses and doses of roids....i know it affects his heart rythem (even though ped..refused to listen when i told him)...but what effect would that have...for aleast 1 year...atleast 2 out of 4 weeks he would be on steroids...asthma is under control now after i had to pretty much demand a referral for allergy testing ( they said there was no way for a toddler to have allergies)...i am at wits end...it's like if i know read and read and try to diagnose his issues the doctors just let him be sick...and keep giving more and more and more medicines.....i am just so tired of seeing him stuck with needles...

as for the chiro...no one will do anything with ds until i get a positive diagnoses of what the problem is..right now it is purely spec..by me the mom...only facts are he is clearly very clumsy for his age..(already had to have stitches)one leg longer than the other, and he clearly is very right hand dominant (since about 13 months)and both parents are lefty....he is or was over a year delayed in recepive and expressive,it's like he was in his own world for quite some time... i think with speech therepy he has done great..something clicked and he is trying to learn...but the doctors just think i am a quack...

[Tissy]

haven, if your son has a leg length difference that you have noticed, he must have an x ray of his hips. Get to your family doctor asap.

[ggglimpopo]

Message withdrawn

[haven]

thank you so far for all the advice...!!!

[Potty1]

ggglimpopo - has your dd been offered any surgery on her leg? We are considering having the growth of dds longer leg halted to allow her short leg to catch up. Well I say we are considering - dd really wants it done and dh and I would prefer maybe not to. Big decision.

[Blu]

Haven - DS has a leg-length discrepancy - Tissy and ggglimpo are right - get to your GP and get a referral to an orthopeadic surgeon. Are you in the UK? if not, whatever mechanism you use to get to see an orthopeadic consultant. But don't panic

Meanwhile, you might find that the STEPS charity website gives you helpful information about hip dysplasia and other lower limb conditions. It is a support site for parents. A busy US site is Limbdifferences.org

[Frizbe]

hipbaby.org

[haven]

i saw the ped...he measured and he said his bones were the same length....does this mean it's o.k....why would the chiro..say that they were not the same..if you staighten his legs it looks like they are about 1/2 inch difference but the tape says the leg bones or the same....could there still be trouble with his hips....

[sparklymieow]

I recently had the same thing, my DS has CP and he was seen in the outpatients, where they measured him and saw a 1/2 inch difference. He was xrayed a few weeks later where they discovered that his leg bones were the same size but he has irregular muscles (properally due to the CP) his hip sockets are slightly displaced and he has a slight left curvature in his spine. I have been told not to worry about all this as its all properally due to the CP, and they will check him annually to see if anything has delevoped. When you straighten his legs it does look as though there is a 1/2 inch differance but if you work his muscles out with stretches, his legs are the same length.

[haven]

i don't know..i do know that one shoe shows being worn more than the other....and his left calf muscle is a lil more tense...that is the one that appears shorter..i thought it was because he stands on his toe instead of his whole foot...not noticeable but enough....what should i do...i haven't got a clue...
you mention CP...ds..definetly has a right hand dom...he will use his left but not nearly as much only to help the righ...if you understand what i am trying say...sometimes he will eat a cookie with it but for the most part...he is very very right hand dominant...
should i bring him to see another ped...or the chiro...i think my ped..just thinks i am overprotective of ds because he was a premie and we have had lots of trouble so i think he takes nothing i say serious unless it is about his asthma...hell he didn't even want me to have him tested for allergies....HELP!
should i just leave it alone...could i be wrong and the chiro?..could his hips just be tilted? i am just tired of defending what i think...

[Blu]

Have you had the appointment you were waiting for, haven?

TBH, if you can see a discrepancy, and one shoe is more worn, I think you should be pursuing this for an answer. I don't know what the answer could be, but can you see an orthopeadic consultant rather than a general peadiatrician?

If I understand it correctly, I think chiropractors have a therapeutic role, and could point out something irregular if they noticed it, but aren't qualified to diagnose conditions, are they?

[haven]

i brought ds to see another chiro...funny thing is his legs looked symetrical.....and this chiro..said his hips were fine, but his calf muscle what tighter on the left side "the side we are nervous about".

my daughter also notice his "butt crack" bka "gluteal cleft" is crooked at the top....which makes me nervous about the spine where it meets the hip...i forgot about the "butt" thing at the chiro..but is going back monday so i will ask him about it..

this chiro..did a pretty good job at evaluating him though..i am confidant that if he realizes that there could be issues he will not miss them..

he even watched him run, no one else even bothered..only problem was, ds controlled the run (does this make sense) normally he lets go and that's when he looks so awkward...and then falls..but no use arguing..

the chiro said it maybe nerves causing his left calf to be tighter, causing it to appear uneven at times..BUT i am still watching the hips...

One more thing...chiro said children his age tend to wair out one shoe more than the other????? I never heard that before..