I am scheduled to have a hip replacement surgery on the 5th of next month. In the meantime, my right leg is 2 inches shorter than my left leg, and I have to use a cane or a walker or some sort of support to make my way across a room. Or from my front door to my car, for that matter.
So: am I crippled, or am I lame?
I’d go with short leg syndrome
some other actual diagnoses are: difficulty walking, gait abnormality, degenerative joint disease.
If you are looking for a adjective, lame seems accurate. I know a lot of old people who would say you are “stove up.”
Crippled implies something permanent, so on the assumption that your surgery goes well and sorts it all out (best of luck, by the way), “lame” is closer; but “temporarily hindered” might also do.
‘Lame’ is more specific - unable to walk in a normal manner.
‘Crippled’ simply means ‘physically handicapped’ missing a hand or being deaf are also ‘crippled’, but not lame.