Background and Objective

The aim of this study was to assess postural stability in patients with varying degrees of equalisation of limb shortness in the lower leg after treatment with the Ilizarov method (IM) compared to a control group, which consisted of people with lower extremities of equal lengths.

Material and Methods

The study included 58 men treated with the IM due to lower limb-length (LL) inequality in the lower leg and 61 healthy men who served as the control group. Patients with LL inequality were divided into two groups with varying degrees of limb equalisation. The measurement was made using the Biodex Balance System, which enables examination of the patient’s ability to control balance and to assess the patient’s lower limb support function by determining their ability to control bilateral, dynamic postural stability on an unstable surface.

Results

The study showed that not all patients treated with the IM obtained results matching those in the control group. The largest limb-loading asymmetries were recorded in patients with limb shortness of >1 cm. People with LL asymmetry up to 1 cm obtained better results in terms of all measured parameters compared to patients whose LL discrepancy after treatment was more than 1 cm. The results of the balance parameter on an unstable surface differed between the patients subjected to treatment with the IM and the group of healthy individuals.

Conclusions

People with lower limb-length asymmetry up to 1 cm obtained better results on all measured parameters compared to those with a limb-length discrepancy exceeding 1 cm. The results of the balance control parameter obtained on an unstable surface differed between groups of patients following treatment with the IM and healthy individuals. People with limb-length asymmetry up to 1 cm following the treatment placed their weight in the lower extremities in a similar way as healthy individuals did.