Assessment of the Sacroiliac Joint

(The Stork Test | Leg Length Difference | Ilia Rotation)

Measuring Leg Length Differences

Leg length can be measured with a tape measure, using bony landmarks as reference points. However, this is not easy as bony landmarks are covered in flesh which can move about when you are trying to use a measuring tape. There is a much better way to check leg length and with a trained eye and practice you can soon learn to do this reasonably well.

Initial Check With Bent Knees

• The athlete is placed on their back with knees bent and heels together, taking care to ensure the heels and hips are as square as possible.
• The therapist then looks from the front and side at the knees to assess if they are level or not.
• If one knee is higher than the other then this could indicate that one leg is longer than the other.
• One knee forward of the other may indicate a longer femur in that leg.
• Or if one knee is higher than the other, this could indicate a longer tibia in this leg.
• Ensuring the hips are level can be difficult so a further test is needed to give a better picture.

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Straight Leg Test

• In order to get the hips square the athlete raises the hips off the couch and lowers them down again (image 2). This should help ensure they lie in a natural position.
• The therapist then gently pulls the legs straight and places the thumbs under the ankle bone on the inside (Medial malleoli).
• From here it should be evident if one leg is longer than the other as one thumb will be higher than the other.