• Cooperstein R
• Haneline M
• Young M

• Leg Length Inequality
• Leg Length Inequality / diagnosis
• Models, Theoretical
• Orthopedic Tests
• Reproducibility of Results
• Supine Position

METHODS: The test is performed with the subject carefully positioned in the supine position, with the head, pelvis, and feet centered on the table. After an assessment for anatomic leg length inequality, the knees are flexed to approximately 90 degrees . The examiner then sights the short leg side knee sequentially from both the foot and side of the table, noting its relative locations: both its height from the table and Y axis position. The traditional interpretation of the Allis test is that a low knee identifies a short tibia and a cephalad knee a short femur. Assuming arbitrary lengths and a tibio/femoral ratio of 1/1.26, and a hip to foot distance that placed the knee near 90 degrees , we trigonometrically calculated changes in the location of the right knee that would result from hypothetical reductions in tibial and femoral length. We also modeled changes in the tibio/femoral ratio that did not change overall leg length, and also a change in hip location.

RESULTS: The knee altitude diminishes with either femoral or tibial length reduction. The knee shifts cephalad when the femoral length is reduced, and caudally when the tibial length is reduced. Changes in the femur/tibia ratio also influence knee position, as does cephalad shifting of the hip.

CONCLUSION: The original Allis (aka Galeazzi) test was developed to identify gross hip deformity in pediatric patients. The extension of this test to adults suspected of having anatomical leg length inequality is problematic, and needs refinement at the least. Our modeling questions whether this test can accurately identify aLLI, let alone distinguish a short tibia from a short femur.

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