Question
I was in my early twenties when I first noticed my right leg was shorter than my left.  I am now almost 41 and hadn't experienced any problems until about two years ago.  I injured my lower back while moving.  I now have pain on the right side of my lower back daily.  I want to correct this but I dont't know where to start.  What type of professional should I see to diagnose and treat my problem?  Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Melissa:
A leg length discrepancy (LLD) is fairly common in most individuals, and sometimes is accused of causing problems when in fact they may not be related to a current injury. The real trick is going to someone who can look at your current symptoms and your past problems in an objective manner, and someone who has the skills to know what is best for you without jumping the gun and causing a long lasting scenario of dysfunction. The only type of person I would recommend is a Cerftified Manual Therapist, this is a Physical therapist with the initials MTC after their name. This is the professional that has the most education and knowledge in finding and treating your current back problem. Other professionals simply will experiment on some treatments that generally help people but health care has enough guess work in my opinion. the PT, MTC will also give you the most thourough evaluation that will take nearly an hour but you can be sure they can appropriately find your problem the first time around. Best of luck to you, and I hope you take this resoponse in the sincere attitude and concern that it was given.

Dr. Jeff Carr, DPT,MTC,ATC,CSCS.