Background: The long-term effects of small limb length discrepancies have been poorly
documented in the literature. References to low back pain, hip pathology, knee pathology,
and foot problems abound in the popular literature. Health care providers frequently
recommend the use of lifts for structural and functional limb length discrepancies, yet the
natural history of limb length inequality as well as the effectiveness of treatments that may be
recommended are obscure. The purpose of this paper is to document and evaluate the …