APPARENT LEG-LENGTH

DISCREPANCY TEST

​• Test positioning

 

The client lies supine with hips and knees extended and parallel.

 

Each leg should be perpendicular to a straight line between both anterior superior iliac spines.

 

​• Action

 

With a tape measure, the therapist measures from the umbilicus to the most distal point of the medial malleolus.

 

​• Positive finding

 

A difference of more than 1 cm is indicative of abnormal pelvic positioning.

 

​• Special considerations & comments

 

Significant discrepancies should be verified via radiography, as this is the most accurate method of assessing apparent (functional) leg length discrepancies.