This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Shortening of the leg (true)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

True leg shortening is the situation where there is an actual loss of the length of bone in the leg. Here the pelvis is level, the legs are parallel, but one of the legs is short.

True shortening can be caused by factors proximal or distal to the greater trochanters in the shorter leg, or, more rarely, factors which cause relative lengthening of the apparently good leg:

  • factors proximal to the trochanter:
    • coxa vara: secondary to neck fractures; slipped epiphyses; Perthe's disease; congenital coxa vara
    • loss of articular cartilage from infection or arthritis
    • dislocation of the hip

  • factors distal to the trochanter:
    • old fractures of the femur
    • old fractures of the tibia
    • growth disruption, e.g. polio, bone or joint infection, epiphyseal trauma

  • factors causing relative lengthening in one limb:
    • increased vascularity stimulating bone growth, e.g. due to long bone fracture or tumour
    • coxa valga, e.g. following polio

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.