Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Clinic Approach

Even though it is widely presumed that attractive people are luckier and have a greater chance to be successful in their professional and private lives, the decision to undergo Limb Lengthening  esthetic  surgery  is a very serious one, and many things have to be considered. For a person who is considering the improvement of the shape of his/her legs and/or to increase height, there is a very important question that must be answered sincerely:How important is my height and the shape of my legs to my sense of completeness?

For a doctor, another question has to be answered honestly: How confident am I in what I am doing when I break a healthy adult’s legs to make them perfect? The first rule in medicine says, Do No Harm. Rephrasing a truism in otolaryngology that “the beautiful nose is the nose that lets you breathe,” in esthetic orthopedics the parallel statement is, “attractive legs are straight, proportional legs that allow you to walk and run.”

In practical medicine nothing can be done with a 100% rate of success. If for the experienced practicing surgeon the rate of complication may be insignificant, for the patient who experiences infection or any other complication the rate is always 100%. Patients must be well informed about the limitations and the physical and psychological discomfort in the process of the limb lengthening fixation and rehabilitation. They have to understand that their active participation is an important part of the process of achieving a successful goal in the shortest possible time. Activity, participation in physical therapy, and cooperation with therapies and the medical team are significant requirements for success. Patients who choose esthetic leg surgery must be well informed about all of the details and possible complications, and above all, must be very highly motivated.

Our staff psychologist helps us to discover if there are psychological contraindications for treatment. Furthermore, the psychologist helps the patient to deal psychologically with the demanding process of lengthening and fixation, by increasing patient’s motivation to be active and to work hard with the physical therapist.  Finally, the psychologist helps to provide an adequate reestimate of the patient’s personality after the treatment is complete.