CORRECTION OF AN UNLEVEL PELVIS

STARTS WITH SUPPORT IN THE FOOT

By Dr. Holly Ruocco, D.C.

There are two joints in the body which most persons are hardly aware of and know little of their function – until pain begins to radiate through the lower back when they are out of alignment and not operating properly. These two major joints are the sacroiliac joints. These joints lay on each side of the body at the point where the vertebral column meets the pelvis.

The function of these joints is twofold. First, they support the weight of the vertebral column. Secondly, they transmit motion and weight-bearing between the spine/pelvis and the lower extremities. There is actually only a small amount of movement that occurs in these joints that are held in place by a strong group of ligaments. When the area is in proper alignment and working smoothly during walking, the limited amount of movement generated actually provides some shock absorbing action for the body.

However, when alignment problems begin to occur in the area, a discrepancy in leg length is frequently the cause. The resulting gait difference can cause an uncomfortable rotation of the hip area with the repetitive action causing subluxation (partial dislocation) to occur in the sacroiliac joints. Low back pain may be the first clue to a chiropractor to check for leg-length discrepancy.

It is actually not uncommon for the source of the pain to be the person’s foot, especially in the case of an aging adult. In fact, the most common cause of the un-leveling of the pelvic area is the loss of support in the foot due to the collapse of the longitudinal arch. When the foot arch drops, the leg begins to rotate inward, the head of the femur bone drops and the pelvis is now unlevel. As the process of arch collapse happens so gradually, there is usually no foot pain associated with the deformation. It is only when pain begins to develop in the lower back that the problem is manifested.

Once a leg-length discrepancy is discovered, a chiropractor may begin corrective procedures by suggesting an orthotic support for the lower arch. This alone may put the patient on the road to recovery as it corrects the anatomical leg-length discrepancy and diminishes the unwanted force that is being transmitted to the sacroiliac joints with each uneven step the person takes. In some cases, a heel lift may be an important component of the treatment as well, depending on the severity of the length discrepancy.

With this simple stabilization device in place and working properly in the foot, the sacroiliac joints can now be further adjusted by the chiropractor as needed. Because the underlying problem of uneven leg length and an unleveled hip area have been solved, adjustments to the pelvis and to the spine will now begin to achieve maximum benefit. No longer will the area be knocked out of joint with each step the person takes.

The person who has been helped in this manner will consider that he/she is very fortunate to have found a practitioner who helped to solve the problem without the use of drugs or the suggestion of surgery. One can only wonder how many people have gone under the surgical knife or spent years on painkillers when a simple orthotic and heel lift could have solved the problem following a chiropractic examination.

Source: Dynamic Chiropractic. “Orthotic Support for the Unlevel Pelvis.” January 2009. http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=53620

   About the author: Dr. Holly Ruocco, D.C. is owner of Chiropractic First PLLC in  Salem, N.H.