Dr. Khoshbaten Corrective Exercise Center Biomechanics, corrective exercise and motion analysis
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Postural findings

Leg length discrepancy: what it is and how it is measured

One hip higher (Pelvic obliquity) above 4° is reported as a finding. This page carries the threshold, the grading bands and the source the clinic's own report is graded with.

What it means

An uneven pelvis on standing with one-sided back pain and asymmetric shoe wear.

Where it comes from

A true difference in bone length, or an apparent one from pelvic obliquity and a one-sided flat foot.

How it is measured

It is measured on the front view, in the coronal plane. The defining measurement is One hip higher (Pelvic obliquity), and it is reported as a finding from above 4°. The number is computed from landmarks on that photograph — not estimated by eye, and not compared against a stock example.

What the numbers mean

MeasurementGrade
up to 4°No evidence
4–6°Suspected — needs measurement
6° and aboveLikely — needs measurement

Source of the bands: Inferred from pelvic obliquity; a discrepancy in centimetres requires a tape measurement

What is usually seen alongside it

  • Sideways curve of the spine (Cobb angle) — above 10°

None of these is a diagnosis on its own. Together they corroborate the finding; apart, they do not refute it — a measurement nobody took counts neither for nor against.

What confirms it

Settled with a tape measure: true length from the ASIS to the medial malleolus and apparent length from the umbilicus, both sides. A difference beyond about a centimetre is worth acting on.

Every number on this page is measured on the skin surface in a photograph. That is not the same as a measurement taken on a radiograph: it correlates with one and does not replace it. Wherever the decision depends on imaging, this page and the report itself say so.

What happens at the clinic

The assessment starts with three standing photographs — front, side and back. Every angle is measured on those photographs, the report prints the number and the grade for each, and the exercise programme is built from those numbers rather than from a template. Posture analysis explains the whole path, and the online assessment can be started from your own photograph now.

Frequently asked questions

At what point is leg length discrepancy reported?

When one hip higher (pelvic obliquity) is above 4°, it is reported as a finding. That is where the "Suspected — needs measurement" band begins. The bands come from: Inferred from pelvic obliquity; a discrepancy in centimetres requires a tape measurement

Can leg length discrepancy be assessed from a photograph?

A photograph gives a number, which most assessments do not have. But it is a surface measurement and it does not replace imaging. Settled with a tape measure: true length from the ASIS to the medial malleolus and apparent length from the umbilicus, both sides. A difference beyond about a centimetre is worth acting on.

What is the most severe grade?

The worst band in this table is "Likely — needs measurement". The grade is printed beside the measurement itself in the report, so it is always clear which number produced the word.

Book an assessment

The clinical session takes place in Quchan, Razavi Khorasan; the online assessment you can do from anywhere. Call to arrange a time or ask a question, or send your reports and photographs over WhatsApp.

Address: Unit 3, Parseh Complex, Nikooei St., Quchan, Razavi Khorasan, Iran · Show on the map
Opening hours: Saturday to Wednesday 9–20 · Thursday 9–14