Increasing Your Wingspan And Arm Length Using Distraction Osteogenesis, Part II

I had mentioned in a past post about the issue of trying to increase one’s wingspan and arm length to have a body that looks proportional when one is looking at increasing one’s height through lengthening the legs.

What is important to note is that most people who get the surgery do it for medical reasons who might suffer from some disorder that causes their arms to be bent or shortened. Common disorders like Bow Arms and Rickets. One of the most common questions posted was what type of doctor would be willing to do this type of surgery. The general consensus is that any surgeon that is willing to already do limb lengthening surgery for cosmetic reasons for people of short stature on their legs will be also willing to perform it on their arms. For a case study of what happens throughout the procedure, click HERE

From the Make Me Taller website , located from this post about distraction osteogenesis for the arms located HERE we get a few of our major questions about the specific surgery answered. I wanted to thank the Admin and Poster MMTA for his hard work.

Arm Lengthening FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) from MMT

This thread is designed to allow you learn more about Arm Lengthening – May 07, 2009, 8:09:12 PM1. How does Arm Lengthening work?

It involves one or more of the bones in your arm broken, and then the two separate parts of that bone being slowly pulled apart (distracted).Normally this involves small adjustments done several times a day.Bone regenerates in this situation, and new bone cells will be produced and will fill the space in the break. The new bone will not be fully hardened (consolidated) for over a year, but should be strong enough to support usage within a few months of surgery.There are a number of different techniques, some involving only internal procedures, others using external and sometimes a combination of the two.The principle was discovered by Professor Ilizarov of Russia, and the standard external device for lengthening or leg correction is called the Ilizarov frame.There are many alternatives, but nearly all are based on the principles discovered by Professor Ilizarov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilizarov).2. Does it hurt?

Yes! There is certainly some pain involved in arm lengthening (LL), but it most cases the pain is manageable using painkillers and therapies.Some people may find the pain unbearable and be unable to continue with the treatment, others will experience very little pain and discomfort.
3. How long does it take?

For an increase of 2.5cm (25mm) a normal, healthy adult should expect the whole process to take about 2 – 3 months from operation, to being able to use their arms unaided again.Some people will take longer. For those who are particularly fit, healthy and have a high pain tolerance, it may be possible to do it more quickly.Whilst the bone can regenerate at a rate of 1mm per day, muscles, blood vessels, nerves and tendons grow more slowly, and so a lengthening rate of 0.666mm per day is recommended as the maximum for a normal, healthy adult. A strong person with an above-average level of fitness may be able to achieve a rate of 0.833mm per day.Some doctors allow 1.00mm per day lengthening, but at this pace of lengthening, muscle and tendon problems are common, especially with the joints.4. Is it dangerous?

All unnecessary cosmetic surgery carries an element of danger and doctors should ensure that their patients fully understand all of the risks and potential complications before they accept them for surgery.Whilst there are very few reports of serious injury or limb loss, it is a possibility with this type of surgery.Issues of complications and possible disabilities are the same as with leg lengthening, and so people should refer to the main MMT FAQs at:http://www.makemetaller.org/index.php/topic,94.0.html5. Why do it?

Whereas Leg Lengthening has the obvious tangible benefit of making the patient taller, cosmetic Arm Lengthening has no medically or scientifically-proven benefits:a. Longer arms are not acknowledged as improving one’s appearance;
b. Longer arms do not provide any obvious practical improvement.However, some people who are considering Leg Lengthening for purely cosmetic reasons become concerned about their proportions, and therefore think about having their arms lengthened too.

For people who want to get more information, there is a rather simple guide probably intended for children available HERE. On the site, there was a story about a 9 year old girl who went through with the surgery to correct for a shorter than average arm and her story was reported on ABC for Good Morning America located HERE

What is interesting to note is that even on the boards, most of the members considered this surgery for cosmetic reason was not worth it as expressed in these quotes

“”Let me be the second to say that any of you considering cosmetic arm lengthening need to be institutionalized.  My legs hurt like sh*t right now.  The thought of lengthening my arms… the discomfort, the aching, the stretching, the AGONY… is literally making me sick.

I think it’s really only those of you who have not done leg lengthening that entertain the idea of arm lengthening.  For those of us who have lengthened or are in the process of lengthening our legs, I say on our behalf, “Now that is f*cking crazy.” – “”

One forum profile found from a book that showed that when it came to limb lengthening one of the big limb long bones, the humerus was supposed to be the easiest and safest of the bones to be worked on. There apparently is something called a mitkovic device that is often used on arm lengthening.

The maximum believed extension allowed by this type of surgery is 7 cm extension for each bone segment, but one patient was said to have increased their arm length by 3.5 inches.

These are the prices discovered by the forum profile for the Ladisten Clinic representative

Some information about arm lengthening provided in Ladisten Clinic.

Humerus (upper arm) lengthening surgery = 17000 Euro.
Treatment time = about 6 months.
Time in clinic, required = about 2 months
Length = +5 cm

Forearm (lower part of the arm) lengthening surgery = 17000 Euro.
Treatment time = about 6 months.
Time in clinic, required = about 2,5 months
Length = + 4 or 5 cm

Staying in hospital = 120 Euro/day for dedicated room. Includes meals, high speed Internet, Satellite TV, all meds associated with main treatment, dedicated nurses 24/7, English-speaking management and physiotherapy.

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