Hip Misalignment
The hip bones form a part of the pelvis. Your pelvis is probably tilted when the hips are uneven or one bone is higher than the other. This is also known as lateral pelvic tilt. Very few things cause this condition. The treatment and symptoms of the condition depend on the reason why your hips are misaligned or uneven.
Southern California Hip Institute (SCHI), led by board certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tigran Garabekyan, provides orthopedic surgery as well as non-surgical orthopedic treatments to patients in Los Angeles, Century City, CA, and surrounding locations.
Reasons for Uneven Hips
- Scoliosis can cause mild to severe form of uneven hips
- Your legs can be of different lengths because of incorrect stance and posture. This is a function concern rather than physical.
- Structural or physical difference in the length of your legs
Causes Based Treatments
Scoliosis
- Back x-ray may be performed on children with mild spinal curve every 4 – 6 months. The condition is generally not treated unless the curve begins to get worse. Only 10% people with the condition require treatment.
- Children older than 10 years may be recommended to wear back brace so that their bones grow the right way. This will prevent the spinal curve from progressing. The brace is generally worn all times of the day and night, unless it interferes with activities, such as sports.
- Doctors may recommend surgery in case of rapidly worsening or severe scoliosis. This is performed to fuse the vertebrae together with an artificial bone or rod to stop the curve from progressing.
Leg length discrepancy – Functional
There are a lot of things you can do to correct uneven hips if it is the result of improper stance or posture:
- Massage can relax muscles and remove knots.
- Exercise stretching side muscles can improve range of motions and mobility. These are usually the primary treatment for uneven hips.
- Exercises for strengthening muscles.
- Correcting bad posture so that the problem doesn’t return.
Leg length discrepancy – Structural
It is difficult to correct uneven hips if the measured length of the legs is unequal. Treatment depends on the difference in the length of the leg as per the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America:
- Adolescents and young children may be observed without interference till their bone growth has stopped.
- Back pain can be reduced by wearing a lift in the shoe. This is helpful in mild leg length discrepancy.
- Surgery for evening out the length of the leg may be considered in more severe cases. This is when the difference is between 2 – 5 centimeters. Surgery can slow bone growth in the longer leg. In case the difference is more than 5 centimeters, a more complicated surgery would need to be performed for making the shorter leg longer.
Scoliosis and Uneven Hips
Children with scoliosis diagnosis may need a surgery or back brace if their condition is worsening to prevent the condition from progressing. Board certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tigran Garabekyan receives patients from Los Angeles, Century City, CA, and nearby areas for orthopedic surgery and non-surgical orthopedic treatments.
Contact the Southern California Hip Institute
Dr. Tigran Garabekyan is a board certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip preservation. To learn more about Southern California Hip Institute or to schedule a consultation, click here to contact us or call:
Century City / Los Angeles: 310.595.1030
Serving patients in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Century City, West Hollywood, North Hollywood Encino, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Burbank, Glendale and other neighboring cities in the greater Los Angeles, California area.
Also visit http://www.drgorthopedics.com/
