Some people are born with one leg larger than the other. In other cases, injury or disease causes a discrepancy in the duration of the leg that can progress over time. This is not necessarily something to worry about, as a small variation is normal and probably will not lead to any health problem.
However, greater variations may be cause for concern. People with a 2-centimeter leg length difference or more are at risk of developing osteoarthritis - a form of arthritis characterized by the joint cartilage breaking - on your hip or knee, which can lead to loss of movement in the joints affected and other conditions.
Certain exercises and stretching can help minimize the discrepancy of the leg length and alleviate any related symptoms. As with most exercise forms, you should slowly get and increase power only if it is comfortable for your body to do this.
Best Weights Exercises For Fat Loss - Best Exercises for Leg Length Discrepancy
The side exercises
high impact can cause physical voltage, which is not always a bad thing. Physical strength can cause micro tensions in their bones, which results in incremental changes in bone mass and length - especially if exercise is repeated over time.
An exercise that can put this type of tension in your affected leg bones is the side kicking in the air. To get the most out of this exercise, make several sets daily. If you want to increase the overall impact, lift the height of your kicks slightly. To decrease the impact, lower the height of the leg.
Step 1: Stay with your back straight and feet separate. Bend your arms and place your hands on fists and hold them in a defensive position near the chest.
Step 2: Lean your body weight for your longer leg. As he breathed deeply, bend and raise his shortest leg until it is at the same time as the hip. Keep your foot pointed forward.
Step 3: When breathing, kick the folded leg and to the side of your body so that your leg will become fully flexed and your foot is still at the same height.
Step 4: Return to your starting position and repeat.
lifts with walker
People with hip dysplasia that submit to total hip arthroplasty (hip replacement surgery) are at increased risk of developing the discrepancy of the length of the leg. This exercise supported by the research is intended for people who have recently have had this procedure and are currently recovering. You will need a walker.
Step 1: Stay in the vertical position to ensure that your back were straight.
Step 2: Move the hiker one step ahead of your body.
Step 3: Lift the leg on your non-operating side until your knee is flexed at a 90 degree angle. Hold this position for three seconds and place the foot back to the ground.
Step 4: Move the hiker another step ahead and repeat with the leg on your operational side.
Step 5: For best results, repeat this cycle 20 to 30 times, three to six times a day during the recovery period.
Ischiotibial stretch
Non surgical interventions for the discrepancy of length of the leg sometimes involves stretching the muscles in the lower half of your body, such as:
- Hip accordors (groin muscles)
- Ischiotibials
- Pyriformis (a muscle in its buttocks near the top of the hip joint)
- ILIOPSOAS (Hip flexor)
To stretch your ischiotibials, you can do the following stretching exercise:
Step 1: Lie down on the floor with your back to the floor.
Step 2: Leave the longest list on the floor and place your leg shorter against a wall, keeping your leg elongated and not folded into the knee. You should be close enough to the wall you feel a stretch on the back of your leg raised.
Step 3: Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat the stretching three times, three days a week.
When doing these exercises, you must feel a smooth elongation or comfortable tension, but not discomfort or pain. If any of them cause pain, make accommodations reducing the number of repetitions you make or decrease your intensity.
Make sure you reach your doctor if you have negative side effects after completing these exercises.
