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Leg Length Inequality

During total hip arthroplasty, the hip is disconnected at the ball. When the new hip is put in, it is "reconnected." The surgeon must choose sizes for the implants which produce the length and offset (the width of the hip) of the total hip which most naturally restores the patient's function. Because the hip is held together by the patient's own muscles, occasionally it is necessary to choose sizes which make the new hip wider or longer than the natural hip. Usually the difference is less than one quarter of an inch, and in these cases, the patient "adapts" or simply is no longer bothered by the difference.

Occasionally, a lift is put into the opposite shoe to equal out the length of the legs. In some patients, the involved hip has been very short for a long time so that when the natural length of the leg is restored, the patient "feels" that the hip is longer. In these cases, time and occasionally physical therapy will allow the patient to readjust to having equal leg lengths once more.