Limb Lengthening Surgery

Limb lengthening surgery makes a bone longer by using the body's own capacity to grow new bone. The bone is divided in a controlled way and then separated a fraction of a millimetre at a time, so that fresh bone forms continuously in the widening gap. The principle, called distraction osteogenesis, is used to even out a leg length difference, to correct a limb that is short or bowed from birth, to rebuild bone lost after injury or infection, and, for adults who choose it, to increase height. Because the process runs over months and depends on precise daily adjustment and physiotherapy, treatment is planned around long-term supervision as much as around the operation itself.