The Link Between A Short Leg And An Atlas Misalignment
One of the most important objective indicators we use in our clinic is the “leg check” test. We use this test to identify the presence of misalignment at the junction between the head and neck (craniocervical junction). The vast majority of us are walking around with one leg shorter than the other. Why is this? Is it because we were simply born this way?
The typical patient in our office presents with an average shorter leg of 3/8 inch. Some patients have even presented with a 1.5+ inch discrepancy. I have found there to be no real correlation between the size of the leg length discrepancy and the severity of symptoms. I’ve witnessed many patients with a relatively small discrepancy of 1/4 inch, that felt like jumping through the window of our 5th-floor office. Conversely, I’ve had patients with a 1-1.5 inch shorter leg and were only just beginning to notice the symptoms as a result. Thankfully, those just beginning to experience symptoms were referred into our office by a friend or family member before the health implications of a misaligned spine were fully realized.
The leg check test is a quick but reliable way to identify 3 things:
1. The presence of an upper cervical (neck) misalignment, which warrants a series of precise digital x-rays to determine the exact way in which your vertebra misaligns – down to a millimeter.
2. An upper cervical misalignment that needs to be corrected for existing patients – using the three-dimensional vector that is custom-tailored to each individual by analyzing the digital x-rays.
3 . Which vertebra in the neck needs a correction.
When the hip is raised, the leg goes with it!
But Why Is My Leg Shorter?
The neck has 7 bones and is labeled C1-C7 (“C” stands for Cervical or Neck). The top bone in the neck is called the Atlas or C1. And, just like the mythological Greek god ‘Atlas’ that carried the world on his shoulders – the Altas has a big job to do as well! The Atlas bone weighs only 2 oz and carries the entire weight of the head, which weighs 10-13 lbs! The upper neck has a much larger range of motion than any other area of the spine, and, with that, an inherent instability. When the Atlas misaligns at the junction between it and the skull, a cascade of events often occurs. This misalignment will cause the 10-13 lb head to shift off of the body’s centerline and the body will compensate in order to keep your head close to the center.
Once the body begins compensating, you may notice a head tilt, a low shoulder, and a raised hip. This compensation is achieved through an increase in the muscle tone on one side of the spine. It is the raised hip that directly creates the shorter leg. As you can imagine, raising the hip will pull up everything else attached to it -including the leg.
As you can see, the shorter leg is simply a symptom of the Atlas misalignment. An upper cervical misalignment can cause many conditions such as; headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, post-concussion syndrome, neck pain, and other chronic health conditions. While some of us do indeed have a structurally shorter leg, this happens far less than we are led to believe.
If you are tired of suffering from neck pain, get in touch today. Dr. Bello provides upper cervical chiropractic care for leg length discrepancy in Brentwood, Marina Del Rey, Culver City, Westwood, West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and the surrounding areas.