If you’ve ever been to Snyder Family Chiropractic, you would notice when you were lying face down on the table at one point during Dr Jeff Snyder’s analysis he would hold your feet and ask you to turn your head and lift your feet to 90 degrees.
What’s with the foot evaluation? What is it and how does it work?
Imagine your body’s foundation is your pelvis, and your legs are like the supporting columns. If that foundation is a little uneven or twisted, it can sometimes cause one leg to appear shorter than the other when you’re lying face down. This apparent difference isn’t always because one leg bone is actually shorter. Instead, it often reflects how the muscles and joints in your pelvis and lower back are positioned and how they might be influencing each other.
This assessment is called the Deerfield leg analysis.
The Deerfield leg analysis is a way Dr Snyder can investigate these apparent leg length differences to get clues about what might be going on in your lower back and pelvis. Here’s the basic idea:
- Initial Observation: You’ll lie face down comfortably on a chiropractic table. Dr Snyder will gently look at your legs, usually by having you straighten them out. They’re looking to see if one leg seems shorter than the other.
- The Knee Bend Test: Here’s where it gets a bit more insightful. Your chiropractor will then gently bend your knees up, usually to about a 90-degree angle, keeping your feet relaxed. They’ll observe if that initial apparent leg length difference changes.
- If the apparent short leg stays short or even looks shorter: This might suggest an issue in your pelvis itself, specifically with the sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of your spine). We call this a “negative Deerfield.”
- If the apparent short leg seems to even out or even look longer: This might indicate a problem with one of the bones of your pelvis called the ilium. We call this a “positive Deerfield.”
- The Head Turning Test (Sometimes): To get even more information, Dr Snyder might also gently have you turn your head to the left and then to the right while keeping your legs extended. If the apparent leg length difference changes when you turn your head, it can suggest a connection between your neck and your pelvis. This is sometimes referred to as a “cervical syndrome.”
Think of it like this: Imagine a slightly tilted table. The legs on one side might seem shorter because of the tilt. By bending the legs or moving the top of the table (your head), we can see if the “shortness” is related to the table’s structure (your pelvis) or something influencing how the legs are resting on the floor (potentially your neck).
Important Points to Remember: - The Deerfield leg analysis primarily looks at functional leg length differences, meaning how things appear due to posture and muscle imbalances, not necessarily if one bone is actually shorter than the other.
- It’s just one piece of the puzzle. Dr Jeff uses this information along with your health history, physical examination, and other tests to understand what’s going on in your body.
- The results of the Deerfield leg analysis help him figure out the best approach for your chiropractic adjustments to help restore balance and proper function to your spine and pelvis.
So, in simple terms, the Deerfield leg analysis is a hands-on way for a chiropractor to use apparent leg length differences and how they change with certain movements to gain valuable insights into potential imbalances in your lower back and pelvis, and even how they might be connected to your neck. It helps guide Dr Snyder in providing the most effective care for you.
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