Complications and Risks in Limb Lengthening Surgery

Limb lengthening surgery is a relatively painless operation with a low risk of complications. It is vital that you reside close to the hospital in order to detect warning signals before they progress, in case a big issue arises, and to receive medical care and be assessed frequently by the professional team while in the hospital. Furthermore, there are dangers both during and after the operation.

During the consultation, the doctor advises the patient about potential complications and risks, and depending on the patient's decision, a technique for limb lengthening is conducted.

We looked into the risks, complications, and side effects of limb lengthening surgery in detail in this article. Let's talk about the potential complications of limb lengthening surgery and how to deal with them.

Does Limb Lengthening have any side effects?

Unavoidable Side Effects

There are some side effects of limb lengthening surgery and these are natural outcomes, and their effects fade over time.

• Edema
• Hematoma
• Muscle Pain
• Muscle Stiffness
• Muscle Weakness
• Nerve Pain 
• Difficulty falling asleep or sleeping

As the lengthening is completed, the pain begins to decline as the healing progresses. Some side effects are unavoidable but they fade away without harming the patient.

What is Contracture?

Contracture (hip, knee, and ankle) is a reduction of joint mobility in one or more directions caused by a loss of flexibility in the muscles, tendons, joint capsules, and ligaments surrounding the joint, which can be induced by a variety of factors. The degree of the mobility limitation is greatly under-maintained if your therapy proceeds regularly during the extension period. If physical treatment is neglected, the degree of movement limitations will worsen, and another surgical intervention may be required.

What are the cons of limb lengthening?

All the Complications and Risks in Limb Lengthening Surgery

• Nerve Damage
• Joint and Muscle Contractures
• Infection
• Vascular trauma,
• Bone Infection
• Cartilage Damage
• Pin-loosening
• Premature consolidation (Fast Bone Union)
• Slow Bone Union
• Non-bone union
• Axial Deviation
• Bone Deformity
• Mal union
• Fat Embolism
• Thrombosis
• Fracture
• The nail breakage or crooked nail
• Technical problems linked to the nail or fixator

Bone healing can be slow or fast

Fast, slow, and non-bone unions are all caused by the person's biological reaction. For fast diagnosis, X-rays are taken at regular intervals. For example, rapid bone regeneration stops lengthening from progressing. In order to continue, the extension is expedited under the supervision of the doctor, or the bone is re-cut surgically. Bone grafting can be done in circumstances where the bone is not consolidated.

Bone Deformation

During the elongation period, bone deformation may occur due to bent, broken, or micro-movement of the holding nails. The extension can be discontinued or a device replacement/device correction operation can be performed depending on the severity of the issue.

Infection of the Bones

Infection might happen right after surgery or during the procedure. The main reason for this is a lack of timely medical dressing changes. In rare cases, a hospital infection might be contracted. The untreated infection might spread to bone cells and cause infection. When this happens, the elongation process is halted, and therapies are administered under the supervision of a doctor in order to prevent the infection from spreading.

Other than the limb lengthening surgery risks listed above, several unanticipated complications may arise, causing the intended treatment to be terminated or a choice to maintain the current state to be made.

True problems are extremely rare when the patient's tolerated potential and bone development capacity are considered based on his biology.

Uncommon Side Effects of Limb Lengthening Surgery 

Some issues are uncommon;

• ossification defect, 
• nerve stretch problems,  

while others are almost non-existent

• osteoporosis,  
• limping.

Finally, well-planned stretching results in functional success, allowing the patient to return to their regular lives, activities, and career. 

Does limb lengthening surgery make you weaker?

After limb-lengthening surgery, there is a slight residual decrease in muscle strength and power, although this has no negative impact on a patient's ability to conduct daily functional activities. And in fact, improvements (faster walking, etc.) will become apparent as time passes. 

Is there any risk of limb lengthening surgery having long-term consequences?

Limb lengthening is a sort of controlled fracture repair in which the lengthened bone has no long-term consequences since bone is constantly remodeling and hence the newly generated bone is just as strong as the old bone. Many potential candidates are concerned about the long-term consequences of limb lengthening or height augmentation surgery. Most of these side effects can be minimized or even eradicated with the help of a qualified doctor and adequate aftercare.

Psychological Risks of Limb Lengthening Surgery

Any lengthening is a difficult time to deal with since, as is often the case with growth, it destabilizes the emotions. The changes in our bodies and minds that occur during limb lengthening are comparable to those that occur during childhood growth. Body changes in the postoperative period are complex and often difficult to deal with, resulting in a psychological reversion to that time period. The patient becomes impatient, difficult in his connections with others, lost, and in agony as a result. A thorough preoperative evaluation enables more effective management of any potential postoperative complications.

In contrast, a well-prepared and motivated limb lengthening that has been appropriately experienced will result in greater self-confidence and self-esteem.

Is it possible to solve dwarfism using Limb Lengthening Surgery?

On the other hand, when parents have a child with abnormalities such as dwarfism or anomalies in limb length, it is typical for them to compare their child to themselves and the desired portrait of the child that they would like to see.

If families wish their child to be "perfect" (by standards), they must understand that the procedure will only impact the morphological metric "stature," leaving the other physical features unaffected. Perhaps just realizing that the child is already perfect—physically and mentally—will be enough. Not only medical-surgical care but also psychological assistance for all family members should be planned in any case.

The Success Rate of Limb Lengthening Surgery

The success rate of limb lengthening surgery is approximately 95%. Any form of surgery carries dangers, however, Limb Lengthening has been around for a long time and the hazards aren't as high as they once were.

Complications will occur in everyone who has limb lengthening surgery more or less. It's just a question of what those issues will be and how quickly we'll be able to discover and correct them. We can reduce limb lengthening surgery risk and consequences by planning ahead of time and taking a very cautious approach during operation.

Does the experience of the surgical team reduce complications?

Of course, complications are dependent on the surgical team's skill, the patient's load, and whether pre-and post-operative training prescriptions are followed during the lengthening phase. Otherwise, major complications could occur, such as paralysis or failure to ossify as a result of too large a gain desired and managed independently by the patient or obtained too quickly; persistent stiffness as a result of poor surgical preparation, or sports inactivity in the postoperative period, and so on.

The Advantages Of Limb Lengthening In Turkey

The best part of having your Limb Lengthening operation in Turkey is that in some circumstances, Turkey can treat you with just an intramedullary rod and no external devices (Limb Lengthening by Precice 2).

 Istanbul is Europe's health tourism capital, with the highest number of health care institutions recognized for patient care and organizational administration. Before your surgery, you will be provided an all-inclusive package price list.

Our patient prospects should be aware that choosing the proper physician is critical to a successful limb lengthening procedure. The top limb lengthening surgeons from across the world, as well as their procedures and fees, are included in this article.

The Benefits of Limb Lengthening in Istanbul can be summed up as follows:

You can find experienced Limb Lengthening surgeons in Istanbul who have completed excellent training in their specialty and choose to practice in Turkey. Istanbul Airport, in Turkey, is also considered one of the world's largest airports with around 200 million passengers per year and around three hundred direct flights worldwide. As a result, you can get a Limb Lengthening operation planned in as little as two weeks, while other procedures in other countries can take up to 15-18 months.

Our job is to guide our patients and their families through a thought-provoking process so they may make the best decision possible.