Some people are born with one leg longer than the other and other people need leg lengthing surgery after a severe injury and treatment of chronic infection in the lower extremities. Whether you need to lengthen one of your legs for cosmetic reasons or becuase of injury, Dr. Cole and the Fracture Care Center team can help. Leg lengthening is a specialized procedure used to restore limb length, which should only be performed by a surgeon with a breadth of experience in limb lengthening. The process works to gradually grow new bone and soft tissue by pulling apart the bone at a very slow rate.

In the past, leg lengthening typically required the use of an external fixator device involving pins and frames. However, in the early 1990's Dr. Cole traveled to the Soviet Union to learn limb lengthening principles from Ilizarov, the leading limb lengthening physician at that time.

Over the next 20 years, Dr. Cole worked on designing and perfecting a leg lengthening device that could be used inside the bone to obtain length in a predictable manner. In 2000, Dr. Cole invented the only FDA approved completely internal device to lengthen the limb with a nail inside the bone, called the Intramedullary Skeletal Kinetic Distractor (ISKD). Dr. Cole developed this unique device used "inside the bone" to lengthen the short bone and eventually allow the patient to wear shoes of the same height. Since then, more than 100 of Dr. Cole's patients have had their legs lengthened with this device.

Leg Lengthening Candidate:

• You are unhappy with your below average height (cosmetic lengthening)
• You have one leg shorter than the other due to trauma or birth deformity
• You are experiencing back pain due to a leg length discrepancy

And:

• You are ready to commit to the process
• You have a thorough understanding of the techniques and their limitations

If you are interested in Leg Lengthening Surgery and are ready to commit to the process of limb lengthening than complete our form and we will send you Leg Lengthening Informtion on Dr. Cole's procedure or call the Fracture Care Center at 407-303-9530.

 

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