Leg Lengthening Surgery FAQs

LLD Treatment FAQs

• How Do You Lengthen a Bone?
  • Bone is living tissue. It can regenerate itself. This is best illustrated by thinking about a broken bone. Many times, when a patient presents to the surgeon with a broken bone, a cast is placed on the injured arm or leg. Over the next few weeks, the bone repairs itself and heals. The cast is removed and the patient can resume his/her daily activities. This same healing response can be used to lengthen a bone. The surgeon can make a precise surgical break in the bone and then allow it to start to heal. Instead of having the bone heal in its original position, however, the bone is slowly pulled apart (approximately 1mm per day). As the two bone ends gradually separate, the body fills in the gap with new bone. The new bone slowly heals over a few months and creates the additional length in the previously shorter bone.
• Does Limb Lengthening Hurt?
  • Stretching a bone seems like something that should be painful. However, the daily adjustments with the PRECICE internal lengthening device are so small that most patients don’t even feel them. Everyone has a different experience with limb lengthening. In general, the first inch is the easiest, and then it gets a little more difficult. Once the initial discomfort from surgery has passed, many patients don’t require any pain medication during the lengthening process.
• How Much Discrepancy Can Leg Lengthening Surgery Correct?
  • The limitations of leg lengthening surgery mostly depends on the underlying reason for why the bone is to be lengthened in the first place. In general, the longer the lengthening, the more risks are involved, so it’s important to consult with your surgeon to determine how much lengthening is realistic for your specific circumstances.
• Am I a Candidate for the PRECICE Internal Lengthening Device?
  • Contact your surgeon to learn more about the risks of leg lengthening and find out if PRECICE might be right for you.
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