1) What is leg Lengthening?
Leg Lengthening is a medical procedure where one or more segments of bone in your legs are broken , then slowly pulling the bone apart as it heals to increase its size before the bone consolidates or hardens. The longer your bones are, the taller you become.
2)How does it work?
It involves the Femur or 'thigh bone' and the Tibula/Fibula or 'shin bones' . These are the two main bone sections in the legs that are used to grow taller.In other words, the upper leg bones and lower leg bones.
When the bones are broken, they will undergo two phases of growth. Distraction and Consolidating.
Normally, both the Femurs or both Tibula/Fubula bones are broken at the same time. Then the two broken parts of that bone are slowly pulled apart (distraction).
Bone regenerates in this situation, and new bone cells will be produced and will fill the space in the break. The new bone will not be fully hardened (consolidated) for over a year, but should be strong enough to support walking within a few months of surgery.
There are a number of different techniques, some involving internal procedures, others using external . In a few cases, it involves using both techniques .
The principle was discovered by Professor Ilizarov of Russia, and the standard external device for lengthening or leg correction is called the Ilizarov frame.There have since been many improvements and different designs , but the Ilizarov frame is still used today and is considered the pioneer in the field.
3. How many centimeters can I gain with Leg Lengthening (LL)
For cosmetic reasons, most surgeons recommend 5cm per limb. Many patients have lengthened up to 7.5 cm per segment but those who go further than this risk complications. It may also lead to future health problems such as premature arthritis, bone weakness or muscle atrophy.
We believe that safety needs to come first. There is no point in trying to lengthen 10cm per segment if you can no longer run or even walk properly.
If a patient desires to lengthen 10 cm, it is preferable to do 5cm on tibia then 5cm on femurs independently rather than to lengthen 10cm on one section.
4) Is there a severe or extended amount of pain involved?
There is certainly some pain involved in LL, but it most cases the pain is manageable using painkillers and therapies. Each patient is different. Some find it incredibly difficult , others feel virtually no pain at all.
5) How long does it take?
For an increase of 5cm the whole process should take about 6 months from operation, to being able to walk again. For 7cm you would add a month. Again, each patient is different . Those who regenerate quickly and have a high pain threshold can get through it quicker.
While the bone can regenerate at a rate of 1mm per day, muscles, blood vessels, nerves and tendons grow more slowly, and so a lengthening rate of 0.66mm per day is recommended as the maximum for tibias and 1.0mm per day as the maximum for femurs for a normal, healthy adult. We strongly advise patients do not exceed these maximums and in fact, many should not even go this quickly. Always consult your doctor.
6) Why not do the thigh and shin bones together to save time and hassle?
Some have come to this conclusion and have tried it. It has proven so far to be a disaster. Your body would need an astronomical amount of nutrients to mend 6 bones at the same time. Your body would not have the support to exercise the muscles and you risk atrophy. Those who have tried it have taken years to recover.
Not only do almost all doctors refuse to consider this surgery, they insist that you have at least 1 year in between surgeries so your body has had time to heal.
7) Is it dangerous?
Doctors should ensure that their patients fully understand all of the risks and potential complications before they accept them for surgery. This kind of surgery is dangerous. You are breaking your legs. However, almost all fully recover as long as the precautions are taken and the Doctors instructions are carried out in detail by the patient.
8.) Who is the best LL doctor in the world?
There is no answer to this question. The best doctor for a particular person will depend on their individual circumstances and requirements. We leave that up to you as the reader . For this reason we have created sections where you can read patients diaries and engage in discussions with them. This serve as a starting point for a research process which should include visiting multiple doctors and their patients in person.
9). Which is the best LL method available?
This is also a subjective question of taste. The best method for a particular person will depend on their individual circumstances and requirements. For internal lengthening, the Albizzia Nail, Guichet Nail and Bliskunov Nail are recommended. For external lengthening there are a variety of Ilizirov fixators which are recommended as well as some of the newer devises which (hopefully) are always on the horizon.
10) How much does it cost?
The full costs for an LL treatment of 5cm are likely to be between $15,000 and $125,000 US Dollars depending on a number of factors. The US Doctors tend to be the most expensive. The European doctors in France and Germany are usually in the middle while the Russian, Chinese and Indian doctors are often the most cost effective.
11) If I increase the size of my legs, wont my feet , arms and and hands look disproportionate?
if we go overboard........Yes! This is why we need to be realistic about how much we lengthen. Many patients try to gauge how tall they should go for by measuring the distance between each middle fingertip stretched out to its widest possible margin (wingspan) We only want to lengthen our height to match our wingspan.
Fortunately, everyone is different. It is possible to be 170cm tall with long legs and to be the same height with short legs. This gives us more latitude to lengthen more or less and still look normal. We can be slightly taller than our wingspan and vice versa.
It is generally conceded that most who lengthen 10cm will not look disproportionate. 15cm and you may want to do mock-ups to see what you would look like beforehand.
12) Sounds great but what are the risks? What kind of complications are we talking about?
The risks can be put into two groups: minor and major
Minor Risks & Complications
Infections
When the lengthening apparatus is put into the body, there is a risk of infection at the sites where it touches human tissue.
With external methods, infections are very common at the pin-sites where it is connected through the skin to the bone, but these infections can normally be treated very quickly. They can be avoided by regular cleaning of the pins sites and good general cleanliness and health.
With internal methods, infections are very rare, but when they do occur, they can be very serious as the infection will be trapped inside the body and may not be identified quickly.
In both cases, antibiotics can also help and, ultimately, the removal of the apparatus.
Scars
The surgery involved in Leg Lengthening requires various incisions to be made in the skin and flesh, and this can lead to scarring.
This can be particularly bad when it comes to external methods which can create multiple scars, some of which can be very deep and long.
However, the scars can normally be removed quite easily by a cosmetic surgeon, and scarring can be minimized by using special lotions and creams.
Major Risks & Complications
Non-Union
Usually when we pull the bone apart too fast. The body will give up trying to bridge the gap in between and the bones will harden apart.This is a serious complication that sometimes needs bone-graft surgery to rectify it, or can result in the lengthening having to be reversed.
Nerve & Blood Vessel Damage
Sometimes, the stretching of them can result in damage to them which may require treatment by medication or surgery. It is to be stressed that blood tissue and nerves regenerate far slower than bone. This is why we cannot lengthen too much or risk permanent nerve damage .
Premature Consolidation
If the rate of lengthening is too slow, the bone can heal before the lengthening process is complete preventing the target height from being achieved. You would need to have the bones broken again to continue.
Other Complications
There are other minor complications that are too many to list but the most common are the site infections and pin breaking in the external methods.
Remember: There are NO reports of anyone ever losing a limb, or the use of a limb, as the result of LL
13) Can anyone do Leg Lengthening?
Many patients want LL, but not all are ready for it or are good candidates. Doctors are very keen at screening patients to make sure they are healthy enough and want the procedure enough to prepare for the mental and physical journey ahead. Some Doctors report rejecting 80% of their patients because they had no idea what it really entailed. This is a major reason why this site exists. To inform and prepare patients.
You must be in reasonable shape. If you are obese, you should consider changing your diet and shedding unwanted pounds before committing to this surgery. If you have a heart or other serious condition, you may not be a good candidate.
If you are depressed or have mental illness, this surgery is not for you. Its far more important to deal with those issues than a cosmetic surgery.
Age and height can be a factor. Some doctors wont take folks over the age of 60 but some do. Some doctors also wont operate on anyone over the height of 165cm but most now have no height maximum.
14) In the end, does it work? Is there any long-term complications or do we get to be taller and go on with our lives like it never happened?
In over 50 years there has never been a reported case of long-term effects of someone having LL. Once the body heals, the bone is as strong and in some cases stronger than it originally was.
There is scientific evidence to suggest that muscles stretched beyond 7.5cm risk permanent damage because this will take them beyond the elastic limit of the soft tissues, and it is recommended that no limb is stretched beyond this amount.
15) Ok. Where do I go from here?
Continue to read the newcomer material in this section and then start to read the patient diaries. We are all in the same boat and are here to help each other. Never be afraid to ask a question. The only stupid question is the one we never ask.
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