Maximize height, and boost confidence with Limb Lengthening!

Sitting workers can do their jobs after being discharged from the hospital, but if they have a physical working life, they need to take a break from work for an average of 6 months. Same for the school. The patient is required to rest for at least 6 months.

It would be beneficial for people who will have lengthening surgery to know the problems listed below:

• Infection
• Delayed or absent union in the lengthening area 
• Clot formation in veins
• Joint stiffness
• Psychological problems
• Scarring at the wound sites
• Severe Pain

Please note that all of these complications can be faced in any orthopedic surgery and can be dealt with, with the intervention of your physician.

As Fix the Height, we provide 2 methods of lengthening surgery which are “LON” and “PRECISE 2” methods. Although the working principles of the methods are the same, there are quite a few differences between the two regarding the comfort of the patient. To summarize, if you are low on budget and fast recovery, LON is your method. If you want to be comfortable and want no devices to be seen from outside, PRECISE 2 is the best option. If the patient wants to lengthen both bones at the same time this is called Quadrilateral Surgeries and it is not recommended to everyone and is not preferred.

Mentally and physically preparing yourself for the surgery will aid you throughout the process. The first step is to get as much information as you can about the procedure. The second is consulting with an expert to see if you are eligible for the operation. Then comes the physical exercises before the surgery which are stretching and relaxing your muscles and a proper diet.

The surgery itself takes about 5 hours, including preparation time, anesthesia and the time it takes to Post-Anesthesia recuperation. After the surgery, the patient stays at the hospital for 4 days and then is transferred to the hotel to start the lengthening after a week from the surgery. 1 cm of lengthening takes 10 days since 1 millimeter is achieved in 1 day. So if your aim is 80 days, the lengthening period would take at least 80 days. It also takes 6 months for the bone to recover fully. The patient can go back to regular activities after 6 months. Also, non-ordinary fast and increased lengthening surgeries affect the healing process negatively. On the other hand, the most positive impact on healing is to do physical therapy exercises after the surgery regularly.

Lengthening surgery is a somewhat painful operation and treatment process. The person may have intense pain, especially in the early stages after the surgery. However, post-operative pain can be alleviated with drugs given intravenously in the hospital in the early period, and then with painkillers recommended by your doctor. In the continuation of the treatment process, the reduction of pain is only possible with regular physical therapy and exercises recommended by your doctor. Bone and muscle tissue are strengthened with exercises that help to reduce pain. In cases where the physical therapy program is not followed, it is a painful process to move a joint that has been immobilized for a long time.

Yes, the patient must be at least 18 years old for cosmetic lengthening surgeries. The reason behind this is ethical rules and still growing during adolescence. Our age limit for cosmetic lengthening surgery is between the ages of 18-45 since the bone healing is proper and consistent. For deformities and single sided shortnesses, there is no age limit.

There will be surgery scars, especially with the LON method. For Precise 2, there will be little to non-scars. These scars and itches can be treated with laser therapy easily after lengthening. 

It depends on the sport you’re doing. However, you should wait at least 1 year for heavy sports such as weightlifting or competitive sports. You can do light sports after 6 months under the supervision of a doctor. You can also train your upper body such as arms, chest, back and shoulders anytime after the surgery except for the abs and below areas.

The biggest problem that may lead to termination of treatment is infection. In case of any infection caused by or after surgery, it is necessary to terminate or modify the treatment immediately, especially if the combined method has been applied. Another reason is circulatory or nerve-related problems during lengthening. For example, if a person says they can’t feel their feet fully at any time during stretching, this is an important sign. In such cases, treatment should not be continued, and the extension should be terminated.

Apart from this, there are also complications related to the person. Joint movements should be preserved by applying the recommended exercise program. If there is a problem in joint movements, the rehabilitation program is intensified, but if no results are obtained, the treatment can be stopped. In addition, depending on the amount of extension from time to time, the muscles behind the knee or the Achilles tendon behind the ankle may be short, and for this reason, problems such as knee bending, or toe walking may be encountered while walking. In such cases, difficulties may be experienced from time to time in achieving the targeted extension, especially if it cannot be overcome with physical therapy.

Physical therapy is a must as long as the lengthening period continues and after the lengthening for some time. Our experienced physical therapists are ready to help you throughout the process. Please visit this page to learn more about the physical therapy period.

Physical therapy and rehabilitation are absolutely necessary after these surgeries. Depending on the procedure applied, muscle weakness and limitation in joint movements may be experienced from time to time. Early physical therapy is very beneficial for the patient to overcome this process quickly.

Do not worry, as FixTheHeight operational team, we are with you throughout the entire process. Please see our patient services section for detailed information.

Although children born with deformity are seen in some hereditary disorders, from time to time later diseases or traumas can also cause deformity.

The lengthening amounts differ with your method of choice. For LON, you can extend up to 10 cm from the femur and 7-8 cm from the tibia. For Precise 2, the safe limits are 7 cm from femur and 7 cm from tibia due to technical limitations.

There is no inappropriate age for deformity. At this point, treatment should be directed by planning whether the deformity will improve with the growth of the person and whether it will worsen. Bone age is very important in planning the treatment, but these treatments can be planned at any age, depending on the degree of deformity.

Regardless of the amount of lengthening, you can go back to your normal daily life after 6 months from the surgery. Activities such as professional sports, powerlifting, and heavy fitness are recommended to be continued after at least 1 year from the surgery. Other than that, you can do everything the same as before after 6 months.

If your method is LON:

Yes, you will undergo a small operation after the lengthening is completed which is the external fixator removal. The external fixator part of the device is removed with this operation and the patient is required to rest for only 4-5 days. After the device is removed you will be left with the internal device. This internal device can be taken out after 1,5-2 years from the surgery if the patient wants to with a small surgery. However, it is completely safe to live with the internal rod for your whole life.

If your method is Precise 2:

No, you do not have a mandatory second operation or surgery. After the lengthening and the bone healing is completed, you can give load to your legs and start walking. The Internal device can be taken out after 1,5-2 years from the surgery if the patient wants to with a small surgery. However, it is completely safe to live with the internal device for your whole life.