Dealing with a leg being shorter than the other is hardly unusual when it comes to runners. In fact, if you think one of your legs is longer than the other, you can count yourself in good company.
Bill Rodgers, Why Trust Us Boston and New York City marathons four times each, has one leg shorter than the other by a full half-inch . Clearly, it didn’t slow him down in his heyday, but in a 2006 interview, Rodgers admitted that the combination of a naturally shorter leg, a broken tibia, and years spent running on the left side of the road all helped contribute to a balance issue affecting his stride, and ultimately, his pace.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below stretching to his routine to address any muscle weaknesses or imbalances that might have developed. But what’s important to note about Rodgers is that he was, potentially, dealing with two separate reasons for his uneven legs. If you’re trying to determine if you have a leg length discrepancy, you need to consider the possible underlying cause.
“Most people have leg length discrepancies that are permanent, and a lot of people have temporary leg length discrepancies either due to tight hamstrings, quads, lower back, or a weak core,” explains Jamey Plunk, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. “In some instances, leg length differences are due to a structural problem like scoliosis. Amazingly, many people with this type of condition who exercise have managed to make it work without any major problems.”
This, likely, explains why Rodgers’s structurally uneven legs didn’t hamper his running performance—he was able to make changes to his arm swing and gait to compensate for the natural difference in leg length.
“The obvious problems that come from temporary leg length differences are the stress to the muscles and joints that work to counteract the imbalance,” Plunk says. For instance, running consistently on one side of a naturally-sloped road creates a type of temporary, or false difference in leg length, where one leg is always making contact, and taking on more stress, than the opposite leg.
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“Since these muscles are not accustomed to this change, it can lead to many problems including knee, hip, sciatica, and other lower back problems. Since most running injuries are repetitive use and are not immediately debilitating, like a trauma injury, the potential to continue the exercise increases the likelihood of a long-term injury.”
How to Determine Differences in Leg Length
The only real way to assess a permanent, structural difference in leg length is through the use of an X-Ray or CT scan. This is because sometimes the appearance of uneven legs isn’t due to an actual difference in leg length. According to Ryan Enke, M.D., a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with OrthoIllinois, factors like spinal curvature can cause legs to seem uneven, even when they’re structurally the same. Likewise, temporary muscle imbalances can also cause one leg to appear shorter than the other.
To gain clues as to whether you might have a leg length discrepancy that deserves further assessment or treatment by a physical therapist or doctor, try this test with a friend.
- Lie barefoot on your back with your legs together. Ask a friend to place the palms of his hands on your hip bones—one hand on either hip.
- Have your friend gently rock your hips side-to-side for about a minute. The goal is to allow your muscles to loosen up and relax.
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If your ankles aren’t even, you could have uneven legs, or you could be dealing with muscle imbalances. To get a slightly more accurate assessment, flow through some simple range of motion exercises or and weaknesses are reasonably easy to prevent, or even counteract, through, A Part of Hearst Digital Media.
If your ankle bones still don’t line up after performing additional stretches, you can’t know for sure if your legs are uneven due to a permanent structural issue or a temporary problem. That said, if you’re concerned about your running performance, it’s a good idea to talk to an orthopedist or physical therapist for further testing.
Training to Prevent Temporary Imbalances
Of course, one of the best ways to avoid injuries is to develop habits that prevent them from occurring in the first place.
Temporary leg length discrepancies caused by muscle imbalances To manage the problem at the time, Rodgers added more cross-training. “An athlete has to change what they’ve been doing that’s causing the problem,” Plunk says. “For instance, if running usually takes place on pavement, then it might be time to switch to grass or dirt. Or if you’ve made a point of consistently running fast, then mix it up with a slower pace or intervals. And if running hurts, switch to swimming or biking. The key is to identify the problem and make the change before it becomes debilitating.”
Plunk also points out that learning and practicing new strengthening and stretching exercises, often with the assistance of a physical therapist, is a necessary solution. Because runners commonly run on one side of the road, placing more stress on one side of the body, they are more likely to end up with muscle imbalances that could lead to pain or injury. Physical therapists can help identify imbalances prescribe the exercises necessary to put you back on even footing.
