One example of a structural leg length discrepancy would be a congenital hip dysplasia or developmental dysphasia of the hip that affects only one side of the innominate.8 Coxa vara or valga of a single femoral neck will lead to a structural leg length discrepancy. Valga will show an increased limb length since the neck of the femur has a larger angle between the head and the shaft , where vara will show a shorten limb.1(pp1037-1038) Another reason for a structural leg length discrepancy could be if there was a fracture through an epiphyseal plate in a child …show more content…
Similar to leg length categories, functional and structural scoliosis share similar characteristics. A functional scoliosis, or nonstructural scoliosis, is a result of some compensatory measure from an acute or minimally invasive correction. Functional scoliosis can be caused by contractures of specific muscles. For example if in the lumbar spine there was muscle contractures in iliocostalic lumborum only on one side, it would lead to a curving of the spine towards that side. If there was a weakening of the iliocostalis lumborum and the lower multifidus fibers on one side it could create a lengthening of the muscles and lead to a curvature away from that side. Functional scoliosis can also be cause by either a functional or structural leg length discrepancy. A compensatory measure for limb length changes can be a hip drop/raise, depending on a shortened or lengthened leg, which will be compensated by a curvature in the spine to keep the eyes in a level position. Functional scoliosis is reversible and usually disappears during side bending or forward