The major difference between limb lengthening and the recent popular human augmentation limb lengthening is that its correction is done within the normal range of movement of the original length and joints of the limb, while limb lengthening for augmentation is done to break the balance relationship of the original limb muscle and joint movement.
Origin of limb lengthening In 1951, Professor Ilizarov, a Soviet surgeon, treated a patient who was injured during World War II. This patient’s knee joint had developed a flexion contracture after a long period of immobilization in a cast, and there were bone fiber structures passing through the joint. The professor performed an osteotomy of the joint and corrected it with an external fixator. When the correction was completed and the patient was ready to undergo bone grafting, the professor was surprised to find that new bone had grown from the osteotomy site. In later studies, Prof. Ilizarov found that new bone could grow at the site of amputation by applying slow and steady continuous traction to the freshly amputated bone with an external fixator. This is the famous theory of traction osteogenesis and is the theoretical basis of modern bone lengthening techniques.
How limb lengthening is done In adults, limb lengthening surgery using an external fixation frame is not complicated, especially since the procedure has been improved and developed in recent years and has become stable. If we look at it from a purely medical point of view, limb lengthening is currently a very routine and mature orthopedic procedure. The method often used by the surgeon is to cut off the bones at the epiphysis of the long bones of the limbs, insert a number of steel pins or nails at the two broken ends, and lead them out of the body and attach them to an extracorporeal fixation frame. Later, the surgeon adjusts the external fixation bracket every day so that it pulls the ends of the broken bones in opposite directions, so that the distance between the broken bones gradually increases, and the new bone grows into the gap between the broken bones and transforms into mature bone. After the bone is gradually lengthened to a predetermined length, the pulling is stopped. The new bone of the lengthened segment will be generated and mineralized for another six months or so to become a normal structure, so that the process of bone lengthening is basically complete.
What conditions are eligible for limb lengthening Limb lengthening with an external fixation frame is not designed for human augmentation. It is designed to restore function and aesthetics to patients with unequal limbs or limb dysfunction, such as those with limbs that are limping due to poliomyelitis. Generally speaking, limb lengthening is suitable for adolescents around 20 years old. People over 45 years old are not suitable for this surgery because of their poor bone regeneration ability. There are different reports about the length of limb lengthening. The author believes that a range of 6 to 8 cm for adult limb lengthening is relatively safe.
Surgery for height is risky The biggest difference between limb lengthening and the popular human body heightening limb lengthening in recent years is that its correction is done within the original length of the limb and the normal range of joint activity; while limb lengthening for height is to break the balance of the original limb muscle and joint activity. Therefore, the latter has a greater risk. These risks are: The surgery is mostly done by closed percutaneous needle penetration, which is likely to damage the blood vessels and nerves of the limb.