Get Calibrated°
Find out if you have a leg length discrepancy, and what to do about it.
1 in 2 adults have a measurable leg length difference and most never know it. Compensation starts small: a tilted pelvis, a curve in the spine, uneven load through the ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder. It shows up as pain that moves around your body and never has a clear cause. Most people chase the symptom for years before anyone checks the source. Here's how to check it yourself.
Find Your Number
Start with what you can check right now. Move down the list for more precision.
Look For The Signs
No tools needed, just notice.
- Stand in front of a mirror. Is one hip visibly higher than the other? One shoulder lower?
- Check your pants or shorts. Does one hem sit higher than the other when you're standing straight?
- Look at your shoes. Uneven wear on the outer or inner edge of one shoe versus the other is a sign your body has been compensating for a while.
These aren't a measurement, they're a reason to keep going.
Bending Knee Test (Galeazzi Sign)
What you need: a flat floor and a friend.
Steps:
- Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, heels close to your glutes.
- Have your friend look at your knees from the side, at eye level with the table or floor.
- If one knee sits noticeably higher than the other, that's a visible discrepancy. This can also give a rough sense of where the difference is coming from, the thigh or the lower leg.
Tape Measurement Test (ASIS to Ankle)
What you need: a soft tape measure and a friend.
Steps:
- Lie flat on your back, legs straight and even, relaxed.
- Have your friend find the bony point at the front of your hip, the ASIS, on each side.
- Measure from that point straight down to the bony bump on the inside of your ankle, on each leg.
- Compare the two numbers. The difference in millimeters is your anatomical leg length discrepancy.
This is the method I used myself, and the one I'd recommend if you only do one test. It's harder to mess up than a visual check and gives you a real number, not just an impression.
Standing Block Test
What you need: a flat hard floor and a stack of flat objects of known thickness (book covers, coasters, shims).
Steps:
- Stand barefoot, back against a wall, feet flat, weight even.
- Starting at 5mm, slide a flat object under the heel of the shorter-appearing leg.
- Keep adding thickness in 1mm increments until your hips look level in a mirror or to a friend watching from behind.
- The total thickness is your functional correction height, the number you actually shop for.
Note: this number won't always match your tape measurement exactly, and that's normal. Tape gives your anatomical number. Block gives your functional number. Shop based on the block test result.
Through Your Doctor
Your doctor may check the same landmarks by hand, or order a standing AP pelvis X-ray or CT scanogram for an exact measurement. If you're told a difference under 20mm doesn't matter, that's outdated guidance. Research shows compensation begins at 5mm.
See the full research →Get a Real Number Fast (Cash-Pay Imaging)
If you want imaging without a referral or a long wait, telehealth platforms can issue a same-day virtual order for an X-ray or scanogram, which you take to any participating imaging center. Typically $75-100, no insurance needed.
Get Imaged →