Of course you could get a huge injury and have way worse muscle from it say a car crash, oh isn't LL needed for legs that aren't the same length after one? Just saying this surgery isn't that insane.
Most people wouldn't consent to having a car crash that results in permanent, irrevocable damage to their lower extremities resulting in shattered bones, decreased athletic ability, possible permanent pain and long term complications. Actually electing to undergo such a serious surgery that will definitely damage you to the point you won't recover for extra height is somewhat insane but worth it for some. Your argument is completely flawed, it's like saying limb lengthening injuries aren't serious because some people have to have their limbs amputated.
bump to keep track of this discussion
It's interesting that the studies on goats said 20% was the safe limit for soft tissue, is that 20% of the initial length of the bone or the section of the leg?
I'm not sure what you mean Jack, sorry. By 20%, it means not lengthening above 20% of the original bone length of that segment, for example, if you theoretically had a 30CM tibia, not lengthening above 6CM which would be 20% of the original bone length, resulting in 120% of the original length or 36CM.
That being said, there are other studies that warn of complications with soft tissue when lengthening a segment beyond 10-15% leading to over-lengthening/plastic deformation so it could be completely personal or that the complications are much more severe than shorter lengthening beyond that point. I believe there is a limit to which you can reasonably lengthen where your soft tissue won't be damaged substantially, but I'm yet to see conclusive evidence and it's well below what most people here desire - clearly rate of lengthening plays a big part also no matter the length.