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

Myofascial (muscle and soft tissue) pain experts Drs. Travell and Simons said a leg length difference of 1/8 inch or more puts you at risk for pain and dysfunction. Why? Because your body automatically does things to try to correct, adapt, or accommodate that difference, such as leaning, twisting, or turning. These positions can cause a migraine.

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

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

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

People with a leg length difference often get 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. That can affect the nerves and blood vessels that play a role in migraines. Those people may also have other pain, such as hip pain on the short side of the leg or low 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 “out of balance” and with migraines.

anatomical short leg:

Raising your entire foot on the side of your short leg just enough to level your 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 cobbler 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 type shoes.

Also, if you have a very skilled cobbler or cobbler, they may be able to remove your entire sole and replace it with a new, thicker sole.

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

functional short leg:

A skilled massage therapist can help relax and release tight, unbalanced muscles that are pulling your bones out of neutral.

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

Perhaps one pant 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 or told him that he had a difference in leg length, but he told me, “My tailor always said yes!” His 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 sits to the side instead of being dead in the middle of your body. That is also a clue.

Or, when you look in the mirror, does your belt line always sit 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 them for you. Or, you can “guess” by placing notebooks or magazines under your short leg and adding or removing pages until it feels level and looks 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 bending and twisting your body to try to make corrections, you can get fewer migraines.

What else can I do?

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

In addition to leveling 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 back (which your body likes, too).

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

PLEASE NOTE: Whenever you do movements for the neck, always do them gently, slowly, and carefully. Pay close attention to what’s going on so you don’t aggravate your delicate neck and trigger a migraine.