Everyone's Health

Are you unbalanced?

Unequal sides may cause arthritis

An arthritis factor? Even a slight difference in the lengths of a person's legs may play a role in whether arthritis develops, researchers have found. But the nature of the link is unclear.

“We can't say for sure whether a leg length difference of about two centimeters is actually going to cause you to get arthritis,” said Dr. Joanne M. Jordan of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina.

But the study, presented at the American College of Rheumatology, suggests that at a minimum, differing lengths may be enough to worsen arthritis.

A long-term study of arthritis involved more than 3,000 volunteers. Of these, 210 had a difference in leg length of two centimeters or more.

While that might seem like a lot, Jordan said it was not uncommon. She said those who had such differences seldom noticed it because their gaits adjusted to take account of it.

The study found that people with legs of different lengths were more likely to have arthritis in the hip and, especially, the knee.

Prior | Tell us what you think | Next

Add to Your Social Bookmarks: Del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Simpy Spurl Y! MyWeb - Netscape - StumbleUpon StumbleUpon