The Quest for Height: Exploring Limb Lengthening Surgery

5 months ago (Edited)

Having to use a stood, ladder or any other means of assistance to get something from a shelve where people would naturally pick things from can be very depressing emotionally. Asking a lady out and to be told that she wouldn't feel feminine beside a person she is weigh taller than can be heart breaking, and trust me when I say if you are anything below 5'9", it is genuinely hard to be short and this could lead people to want to increase their height.

A man decided to break his leg, increase his height, and then live his life in satisfaction with his height. He decided to do an invasive limb lengthening surgeries, and lots of people do this limb invasive surgery, so as to reach their desired height. While it looks good, it doesn't come cheap. If you are going to extend your femur up to 3 inches taller, you might be looking at 80 thousand to 100 thousand dollars.

Limb lengthening surgery is a sought after cosmetic procedure, and it started similar to other cosmetic procedures to treat dire complications and was developed by Gavriil Ilizarov in the 50s to treat bone fractures and malformations such as limb discrepancies, and was performed on children so as to help nudge bones in the right direction in cases where the bones were in the wrong places. That is why the Ilizarov frame as the first generation of the devices used till date.

The instrument drives pins through the flesh into the bone to hold it in place and the frame wrenches the bone apart until new bone tissue fills the space but in recent times, it has been upgraded were nails are driven into the bone to avoid open sores to prevent infection. This process uses the ability of the body to grow more bone to lengthen the bone, and the process includes surgery, Distraction, and Consolidation.

During the surgery, the limb is broken where the bone is broken with care, and the surgeon ensures that blood flow remains as well as other factor that will cause the bone to grow. The femur or tibia can be broken depending on how much height is to be added. After the separation, a lengthening device such as the Ilizarov apparatus is inserted to stretch the top portion of the limb from the bottom.

The distraction phase follows, during which the surgeon incrementally pulls the broken portions of the bone apart. This process stimulates the growth of new bone tissue between the separated sections, with the limb potentially lengthening at a rate of 1mm per day. The duration can extend to over 50 days, depending on the desired increase.

The consolidation stage is also know as the healing stage. The stage usually takes longer days compared to the distraction stage. It can take up to two times the days needed in the distraction and surgery phase combined. During the process of stretching and healing, it is important to perform physical therapy so the patient does not lose mobility.

After the surgery is over is when people begin to feel very free and okay. They forget that they need to be careful to make sure they heal properly. If they have any complication after the surgery processes have been completed, the surgery will have to be done again and that will be costly.

While limb lengthening surgery offers a route to increased height, the process is not without challenges. The financial burden, coupled with the physical and emotional strain of the procedure, underscores the complexity of this cosmetic journey. Individuals contemplating such surgery should weigh the potential benefits against the risks and be vigilant in adhering to post-surgery care to ensure a successful and lasting outcome.