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Gday Folks

Does anyone know of any research that has been done that demonstrates or intimates that Leg Length Discrepency can be a cuase or a factor in achilles tendonitis/osis?. I can make sense of how a LLD could potentially alter gait mechanics and contribute to the condition but I was just wondering if there had been any research in the area! Has anyone had success treating AT long term by primarily dealing with the LLD?

Regards

MrT :)

 

In cases of an anatomical short leg (low ASIS and PSIS on the same side in NCSP or RCSP) on the side with equinus and Achilles tendonitis, I have found raising of the heel to be very effective.

In cases of a posterior innominate, (the ASIS is high, but the PSIS is low on the same side, in NCSP or RCSP) on the side with the equinus and Achilles tendonitis, I have found that raising the heel to be very effective, even though this is not the ideal treatment.

 

It makes sense that biomechanical factors such as LLD may cause or contribute to the development of Achilles tendinosis/tendinopathy. I've seen a few papers that site LLD as a possible cause but no hard evidence to back these claims. In patients with Achilles tendinopathy, I will always assess for biomechanical influences. If I think they have severe biomechanical issues (such as a large LLD) I'll address these straight away in conjunction with eccentric loading exercises (which has RCTs to support) but for the majority of my patients with Achilles tendinopathy, I'll only address their biomechanical issues if they don't respond to a 12 week program of eccentric loading exercises.