Where Can You Get a Leg Length Assessment in London?
If you are thinking of travelling to London, you can get a precise leg length assessment at ScanAlign, full-body standing imaging on Harley Street. With EOS technology, both legs are captured on one standing image. It uses about 90% less radiation than a standard X-ray, around ten times less. You do not need a referral from your doctor. You can book yourself as a private, self-pay patient.
Key points
- A leg length assessment measures whether one leg is longer than the other, and by how much.
- Standing imaging captures your legs while they carry your real body weight. This gives a more accurate picture than scans taken lying down.
- EOS technology fits both full legs on one non-magnified image, so the measurements are true to life.
- ScanAlign is at 19 Harley Street, London. You can book yourself without a letter from your doctor.
- The scan uses about 90% less radiation than a standard X-ray, around ten times less.
What is a leg length assessment?
A leg length assessment is a clinical measurement. It checks whether your legs are the same length. Even a small difference can change the way your body spreads your weight. Over time, this may contribute to pain in the lower back, hip, knee or ankle.
A leg length discrepancy is surprisingly common. Many people have one without knowing it. The difference can be structural, meaning the bones themselves are different lengths. Or it can be functional, where tight muscles or the alignment of the pelvis make one leg act as if it is shorter.
A proper assessment needs accurate imaging. Measuring with a tape in a consulting room gives a rough idea. But it cannot reliably pick up small differences, or show exactly where the difference sits: in the thigh bone, the shin bone, or both.
Why does a standing scan give a more accurate leg length measurement?
A standing scan captures your legs under the real pull of gravity, exactly as they work when you walk. Imaging done lying down relaxes your muscles. It can change the position of your pelvis and joints, which may hide the true difference.
A full-leg standing X-ray shows both legs from hip to ankle on one non-magnified image. Because the image is true to life, measurements taken from it reflect your real anatomy. Your muscles, joints and pelvis carry your weight naturally, so any tilt or compensation shows up clearly.
A conventional X-ray or CT scan is taken while you lie flat. Without gravity pressing through your skeleton, the pelvis can shift. The true functional difference between your legs may then not be visible. Separate images of each leg also add errors when they are joined together.
EOS imaging captures both legs from hip to floor in a single pass. There is no need to join separate images together, which removes a common source of measurement error. The result is a reliable, non-magnified long-leg film. Your specialist, podiatrist or orthopaedic surgeon can use it to make decisions about treatment.
You can read more about how this technology works in our guide to EOS scanning for leg length discrepancy.
What are the signs you might need a leg length assessment?
A leg length assessment may help if you have persistent symptoms with no clear cause that have not improved with standard treatment. Common signs include the following.
Pain that always favours one side could mean your pelvis is tilting to make up for unequal leg lengths.
If one shoe sole wears down faster than the other, the way you walk may be uneven because of a leg length difference.
Repeated strain on one hip or knee can be a sign that the joint is working harder to compensate.
Other people may notice you lean or dip to one side when walking, even if you do not notice it yourself.
Your body is a connected chain from your feet to your head. When one leg is shorter, the pelvis tilts and the spine curves to compensate. Pain can then appear in places far from the actual cause. That is why imaging of only one area often misses the full picture.
What happens during a leg length assessment at ScanAlign?
Your visit to ScanAlign at 19 Harley Street follows a simple process. The whole appointment is quick and comfortable.
Free video consultation
A short call, which you can join from home, to discuss your symptoms and confirm the scan is right for you. No referral letter is needed.
Visit 19 Harley Street
You come to our clinic in central London. No special preparation is needed. You simply stand in the EOS scanner in comfortable clothes.
Standing full-leg image
The EOS system captures both legs from hips to ankles in one standing scan. It takes only a few seconds. The radiation dose is about 90% less than a standard X-ray, around ten times less.
Detailed report
A specialist radiographer studies the image and writes a detailed report. You can share it with your orthopaedic surgeon, physiotherapist or podiatrist to guide any next steps.
Who benefits from a standing leg length scan?
A standing leg length assessment is useful for many kinds of people. It helps just as much whether you are looking into a new problem or checking something that has troubled you for years.
- Persistent back, hip or knee pain on one side
- Thinking about a shoe raise or orthotic
- Planning before hip or knee surgery
- Keeping track of a known leg length discrepancy
- Referral from a podiatrist or physiotherapist
- Suspected soft-tissue injury (muscle, tendon, ligament)
- Nerve-related symptoms such as tingling or numbness
- Need to see discs or cartilage in detail
When MRI is the better tool. EOS is excellent at showing bones, joints and alignment under load. If your treating specialist suspects a soft-tissue problem, a disc problem or nerve involvement, MRI is usually more suitable. The two scans answer different questions and often work well together.
Before you start treatment, or change the one you are on, it is worth getting a detailed diagnosis. Knowing whether the cause sits in the pelvis, the legs or the spine changes what will actually help.
Not sure which scan you need? Our free video consultation can help you decide.
Book a free video consultationFrequently asked questions about leg length assessments in London
No. ScanAlign is a private, self-pay clinic. You can book a leg length measurement directly, without a letter from your doctor or a specialist referral.
The price for patients travelling from abroad is confirmed during your free video consultation, along with exactly what is included.
Yes. The EOS system uses about 90% less radiation than a standard X-ray, around ten times less. It is one of the lowest-dose methods of imaging the skeleton available.
The scan itself takes only a few seconds. Your full appointment will be longer to allow for positioning and checks, but the process is quick and comfortable.
When you stand, gravity loads your skeleton naturally. Your pelvis, joints and muscles sit in their true positions. Lying down relaxes these structures and can hide the real difference between your legs.
It can. Even a modest difference changes the way your body spreads your weight. Over time, the pelvis tilts, the spine compensates, and symptoms may develop in the back, hip or knee on either side.
A long-leg film is an X-ray that captures the full length of both legs, from hips to ankles, on one image. EOS produces a non-magnified long-leg film while you stand, which gives highly accurate measurements.
Yes. The report gives precise measurements. Your podiatrist, physiotherapist or orthopaedic surgeon can use them to decide on a shoe raise, an orthotic, or another approach.
ScanAlign is at 19 Harley Street, in central London. Once you are in London, the clinic is easy to reach by public transport and is a short walk from several Underground stations.
Wear comfortable clothes with no metal fastenings around the legs and hips. You will be asked to stand still for a few seconds while the image is taken. No other preparation is needed.
Ready to find out if your legs are the same length?
Start with a free video consultation from home. We will explain how a standing leg length assessment works and confirm whether it is right for you.
Book a free video consultationSources
- Sabharwal S, Kumar A. Methods for assessing leg length discrepancy. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 2008;466(12):2910-2922.
- Deschênes S, Charron G, Beaudoin G, et al. Diagnostic imaging of spinal deformities: reducing patients' radiation dose with a new slot-scanning X-ray imager. Spine. 2010;35(9):989-994.
- NHS. Back pain: causes, treatment and when to see a GP. nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/back-pain/
Written by Abbas Dhami (Specialist Diagnostic Radiographer).
This page is general information and not a diagnosis.
ScanAlign is the trading name of CoreMed Solutions Ltd and operates under The Harley Street Hospital's CQC licence.