This prospective 3D motion analysis study of 45 children with LLD >2 cm characterizes four quantitatively defined gait compensation strategies and measures their mechanical work demands at each lower-extremity joint, asking whether the anatomic location of shortening — femoral versus tibial — predicts which strategy a child will adopt.
When evaluating a child with LLD, the location of shortening predicts the compensation pattern and which joints are overloaded: femoral shortening drives ankle-level compensation (watch for equinus/vaulting and ankle joint overload), while tibial shortening drives pelvic obliquity with excess hip and long-limb loading — this should guide counseling about long-term arthritis risk and the threshold for intervention such as a shoe lift.
This prospective 3D motion analysis study of 45 children with LLD >2 cm characterizes four quantitatively defined gait compensation strategies and measures their mechanical work demands at each lower-extremity joint, asking whether the anatomic location of shortening — femoral versus tibial — predicts which strategy a child will adopt.
When evaluating a child with LLD, the location of shortening predicts the compensation pattern and which joints are overloaded: femoral shortening drives ankle-level compensation (watch for equinus/vaulting and ankle joint overload), while tibial shortening drives pelvic obliquity with excess hip and long-limb loading — this should guide counseling about long-term arthritis risk and the threshold for intervention such as a shoe lift.