Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Discussions => Topic started by: younglengthening on June 08, 2023, 11:30:21 PM
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Hello,
I am a soon to be 19yo male and around 168-169cm. There is a chance I have some sort of spinal curvature issue (not verified, will check with doctor soon), and if fixed I imagine that will give me 1-2cm more, so I would be 171cm at most. Regardless, I doubt I will grow anymore considering my age, my parents heights (5'5" and 4'11"), and the fact that I haven't grown at all since I was around 16. My height brings me a lot of distress, so I plan to get limb lengthening.
I have a few questions regarding the process.
What is the maximum height increase I can gain while still maintaining athletic ability and mobility? I am aware I will not retain 100%, but a high amount still (maybe 90-95%).
I want to be minimum 174cm, and obviously ideally the taller the better.
What would the differences between lengthening femur and tibia be? Would it be a good idea to say, increase 3 cm in both, as opposed to 6cm in just my femur?
Some physical activities I partake in and would like to continue after LL are combat sports, swimming, hiking, and skiing. Anyone with any experience in these after LL know if I can resume?
Who are the best and most reliable doctors? Money is not a concern for me, but I am based in the US. Obviously cheaper is better but I'm willing to pay whatever's necessary due to how life altering this surgery is.
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Lengthening the femur is a lot easier than lengthening the tibia. Less complications and higher chance you'll be able lengthen the max amount on it. Also, a bit cheaper.
There's no good answer for maximum height increase while maintaining athletic function. There are plenty of examples of people growing as much as 7 inches total and still maintaining good athletic ability. There are also examples of people who run into nerve issues early and have to settle for 2 inches instead of 3 inches when lengthening a particular segment (femur or tibia). Some people just "stretch" easier than others. A lot of this is also on you as the patient to put the work in with physical therapy every day to get the best athletic outcome possible.
I think most people on the forum would say the two best are Dr. Paley and Dr. Rozbruch, based mostly on years of experience. I think the tiers in this thread are pretty sensible:
http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=81316.0
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Also, while unlikely, since you are only 19, it might make sense to check if your growth plates haven't fused yet. Taking human growth hormone to get taller is probably a lot easier than surgery lol.
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A poster from a while back named Sweden claimed to be a high-level athlete. He lengthened 7 cm on tibias and it seemed like a difficult process for him, but he seems to have eventually recovered and returned to form. A lot of posts to read but they may be of interest to you.
http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;u=7
I did 7.5 cm on tibias (same starting height as you). Things went easier for me during the process but I was never an athlete like him before and never aspired to be one after. I have minor tendonitis in my patellar ligament; I think this was caused exclusively by insertion of the intermedullary nail and not due to how much I lengthened. My first choice was to do all-external monorail tibias in Serbia, but circumstances beyond my control made me have to ball back on me 2nd choice: Ilizarov LON in China.