One of the most common things that people say to me on their first consultation is, “do you think my problems are because I have a short leg?”
Having a short leg is not uncommon, plenty of people have one; but more common is when the pelvis has a torsion strain, that is when the pelvis is twisted causing one leg to be drawn higher than the other.
This can develop into quite a painful problem. This is because the pelvis is laced with millions of nerves that line the joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles of the pelvis.
The role of these nerves is to give feedback to the balance part of the brain. This information about balance, movement and weight transfer is used to ensure smooth movement and good balance.
It is the ability of the pelvis to provide instantly changing information about weight transfer; this is a key and important role of the pelvis which is almost entirely unknown to most people.
As you walk and move, the motor component of the Central Nervous System (CNS), which we will call the ‘Motor Neural Network’ (MNN), has to instruct gentle relaxation of the muscles on one side of the pelvis and leg whilst smoothly bringing the muscles on the opposite side into play.
If this role is achieved well, smooth flowing movement is achieved rather than an awkward ‘staccato’ which leads to joint injury.
Damage to the joints of the pelvis is very common and can result in lower back pain, tightness in the legs, reduced co-ordination, sciatica and even weakness in the muscles of the leg or foot.
When a client consults us about any of these symptoms an assessment needs to be made to ensure whether the injury is within the pelvis or originating in the lower back, which can result in similar symptoms.
There can be a number of different injuries to the pelvis. The most common two are:
1) when joints become restricted and locked into a position and
2) when joints gain greater movement than they should and become hypermobile.
Both of these problems result in a change to both nerve feedback as part of the MNN and alter the smooth locomotion of the pelvis and spine.
What caused my problem?
The most obvious causes are also the least likely, which include falling onto the pelvis, lifting awkwardly and other traumatic events.
Most people report what we call a ‘Trivial Episode’. “I did it getting out of bed,” they often say, or “I went to pick a piece of paper from the floor and my back went.”
These events are in themselves trivial but the damage can be significant, severe and long lasting. They occur because the pelvis, lower back or any other part of the spine had not been moving smoothly under the co-ordinated control of the CNS.
In other words there was damage before the pain came. The damage, like a car engine that is out of tune, resulted in inefficient movement and made the machine (your body) prone to injury.
Damage does not just cause pain. It can alter performance and result in inefficient and damaging motion.
Chiropractic care helps to keep your body tuned and functioning better. Who do you know who needs a tune up? We would love to take care of them.