Leg length discrepancy. What’s acceptable limit?

Hi

I believe anything 1.5inches or over is not acceptable.

My fist was 1.5 inches longer I'm not on my revision and am just 4 days in, but it now looks I'm told 1cm shorted so fingers crossed I can walk ok.

Always best to wait the year before you can really feel the difference if it's putting your back out or causing hamstring issues as mine was plus I has to wear a shoe lift I would have been happy with your discrepancy lol

Good luck x

That's about what mine is, I'm told, but if feels like a lot more. I have had issues that persisted from the beginning right up to now (12 months post op) , so my surgeon has referred me to a revision specialist for a consult.

Oh my goodness, sounds awful! I've narrowly escaped a revision - had bilateral hip resurfacing 11yrs ago. Thought I had to have both redone imminently, but thankfully not the case. Don't know how on earth a surgeon manages to match leg length, but surely it's a given that they do...seems not.

Bound to have repercussions on back and other leg...

Sorry to hear this Carol.

Ruth

Hi CAROL I too have one leg a tiny bit longer than the other. My doctor says the legs are the same length, but my hips are not quite even now. id say the difference is perhaps 1/4 " difference. Maybe its the "neck of the implant" as you say. My new hip doesnt hurt but after surgery my lower back hurts chronically. I went to physical therapy for a few months but it didnt help. i got a dr. scholls heel lift but it doesnt really do much. Sitting for more than 10 or 15 minutes causes terrible stiffness in my back. Also, my knee is bothering me now too. I feel like I traded one pain (hip) for a new one(back). I think my gait has changed thus Im walking different and it causes my back and knee to hurt.

Im 9 months post op. maybe a few more weeks I'll see some improvement.......

I am not qualified to answer what is a acceptable in leg length after surgery but I too have a leg length difference. It initially did cause me much pain and limping and was a killer on my back. The surgeon's answer was it was as close as he could get given the choices on implants he had available in th operating room. Not entirely a happy answer, but not much I can do now about it until the other hip is done. What I did do to help was use cane or walking stick all the time for the first few months to let the swelling down and the hip to settle down. In lieu of special shoe inserts, which were expensive and would only work on certain shoes was to get different kinds and thicknesses of Dr. Scholls shoe inserts, $8-12.00 a pair, and use only one inside the shorter leg shoe. Because I wear shoes that I slide into with no back, I stuck the insert down with double sided scotch tape. And I can rip them out for washing or replacing as need be. Some of the insoles can be very slippery, especially when wet or sweaty, so I got those very thin stick on no skid pads hat are used on boat things to keep stuff from sliding. I got them on Amazon before. Its been a year now and I walk without thinking that one leg is shorter, except when barefoot. that can still give me pain. Hope some of this helps.

Hi Carol,

7mm is not a lot, I think body stretching exercises like pilates would help you and maybe, even out your leg length.

10mm = 1cm

2.5cm = 1 inch

in response to what causes this leg discrepancy. We all know the details - that the hip prosthesis is composed of basically 4 parts, the acetabula cup, the cup liner, the femoral head and femoral stem. And a few screws. As arthritis progresses and the space narrows we come to a time when a THR is appropriate and a desirable alternative to the pain and disability of living with a bad hip. In my case the surgeon said he couldn't get the femoral stem in any further without risking breaking the femur. There is a fine line between getting the length and strength needed and the size of the prosthetic pieces used. And because both my hips are practically bone on bone the acetabula-femoral head space was smaller than the prosthetic cup and liner replacement. That said, my right new hip space is thicker than the left bone-on-bone hip I suspect that lots of leg difference might be due to exactly this. The suggestion in the previous post for do it yourself shoe inserts are low risk, cheap, and gave me great, non surgical relief. You might try that before signing up for a revision. Hope you feel better soon. It miserable to trade one pain for another.

my acceptable limit is they should be the same or a very minute difference