Migraines and Legs: Is Your Leg Length Difference Causing Your Migraine Headaches?

Migraines can be caused by having a short leg. According to a study by the US Army, about one in ten people has a real difference in leg length.

Myofascial (muscle and soft tissue) pain experts Dr. Travell and Simons said that a difference in leg length of 1/8 inch or more puts you at risk for pain and dysfunction. Why? Because your body does things automatically to try to correct or adapt or accommodate that difference, like tilt, turn, or rotate. These positions can trigger migraines.

There are two types of “short legs”. Both can cause migraines.

One is an actual anatomical difference that could be caused by a serious injury, polio, or nature and can be measured with X-rays. It can be the bone in the upper or lower leg.

The other type is a functional difference in leg length. That means that all the bones are the same length, but the muscles in the body cause a hip to rise. The hip bones can move independently of each other, making it possible to have one hip higher or more forward than the other.

People with a difference in leg length often have migraines because walking at an incline puts a lot of pressure on the muscles at the base of the skull. Causes a rotation (slight twist) of the head. This can affect the nerves and blood vessels involved in migraines. Those people may also have other pain, such as hip pain on the side of the short leg or lower back pain or TMJ dysfunction.

What is the solution?

Good news! There is a relatively easy solution so you don’t have to go through life “off balance” and with migraines.

Anatomical short leg:

Lifting the entire foot on the side of the short leg high enough to level the hips will go a long way toward making you feel better, have fewer migraines, and have fewer neck and muscle problems.

This requires that you only wear certain shoes. They should have a thick, solid hard rubber sole. A shoemaker can split a firm rubber sole and add a layer of neoprene rubber to lift the short leg. This does not work with air or gel shoes.

Also, if you have a really skilled cobbler or cobbler, you may be able to remove the entire sole and replace it with a new, thicker one.

It may seem like a lot of work or you may not want to give up your fancy shoes, but the benefits to your body are enormous.

Functional short leg:

A massage therapist can help relax and release the unbalanced tight muscles that are pulling the bones out of neutrality.

How do you know if you have a difference in leg length?

Perhaps one trouser leg is always longer than the other. That was the clue for my 91 year old client who had back pain and migraines for over 70 years. His doctors never looked for him or told him he had a difference in leg length, but he said, “My tailor always said yes!” Their anatomical leg length difference was approximately 2 inches.

Perhaps when you look in the mirror you can see that one shoulder is higher than the other or that your head is set to one side instead of being dead in the middle of your body. That is also a clue.

Or, when you look in the mirror, is your belt line always lower on the same side?

How do you know how much lift you need?

A doctor can take X-rays of your legs and hips and measure for you. Or you can “guest estimate” by placing notebooks or magazines under your short leg and adding or removing pages until you feel level and look level in the mirror. Many neuromuscular massage therapists are also trained to measure leg length differences.

When you get rid of a real difference in leg length and stop the tilt and twist your body does to try to make corrections, you may have fewer migraines.

What else can I do?

There is a lot of information and misinformation about migraines. Most doctors are looking to help you get rid of them rather than finding out where they came from. Here’s a hint: there are things your body likes and things it doesn’t like.

In addition to leveling out your hips (which your body likes), you can take steps to relax the muscles around your head and neck (which your body also likes). You can also do simple, gentle movements to help correct your posture and relax your body. back (which your body also likes.).

There can be multiple causes for your migraines, but the more causes you can get rid of, the less pain you will have.

PLEASE NOTE: Whenever doing neck movements, do so carefully, slowly, and carefully. Pay close attention to what is happening so as not to aggravate your delicate neck and cause a migraine.