Leg length discrepancy

[mumofeight]

I have been having concerns about the way in which DD walks for a little while now, a few weeks ago the HV suggested that we took her to the Podiatrist and get her feet checked. Well, we finally managed to get her seen today. The podiatrist discovered that DD's legs are different lengths ( which I told the paed a year ago and was told they weren't!!) .

Have any of children here got this problem? I am very curious as to what treatment/therapy was offered/suggested for them. The podiatrist said that they would not do anything but monitor until she is seven years old and if the problem had not corrected itself by then they would start treatment with inserts .
Whilst not wanting to doubt a healthcare professional, I am concerned that a 4 year wait for treatment could cause DD even more problems ! The podiatrists only advice was to encourage DD to walk up hills or take her swimming Hmmm nice idea to suggest for a heart child lol !!

Any advice gratefully received

Blu's the lady you want to talk to about this. She knows quite a lot about this kind of thing as her little boy has something similar to this.
Not sure if she's around, but will bump it for you.

Might be worth trying a osteopath as they can check hip alignment and spine. My brother had different leg lengths and got inserts at 10 but he had horrid backpain cos of it. So when number 2 had different length legs we visited the osteopath and go back every 3 months. His hips were twisted which pulled his legs out of length and twisted his spine. Osteopathy kepps it all straight (so far)

Leg length discrepancy can vary with growth as the bones can grow at different speeds, which may be why it wasnt picked up a year ago. There are also several different ways to measure it, and there is also "true" and "apparent" discrepancy which are measured in different ways too.

You need both measurements - in apparent LL discrepancy the cause is usually a spinal or postural asymmetry so correcting with footwear makes the problem worse. In real or true LL discrepancy there has to be quite a difference (more than 1cm) before it should be corrected.

Im not sure why your podiatrist doesnt want to treat until age 7, but then Im a physio and I have usually worked with orthotists in the past, so different background. Wouldnt hurt to ask, or perhaps ask your paed what they think when you see them next.

Hello Mumofeight,
yes, my DS has a significant discrepancy, which is due to a short tibia, and associated with a much more complicated condition - lack of fibula.
Both our orthopaedic consultant and the physio people have said that there isn't generally a problem with a small discrepancy in young children because they are still so flexible, but as they get older, it can cause peoblems further up the body - so this is probably why the podiatrist said wait until 7.
tbh, I'm not quite sure what a podiatrist is, and if it was the posiatrist who identified a discrepancy, then I might be asking for advice from another orthopaedic specialist to say exactly where the shortening is - and what it's cause might be, given that it has been like that for a year.

Do you think the discrepancy is increasing at all?

DS has a raise - when he started walking h found it easier to be 'levelled out'.

By 'heart child' do you mean that your dd has heart problems? Does she have any other condition that could possibly be related to leg shortening?