LIMB-LENGTHENING AT THE BETZ INSTITUTE^®

A PROCEDURE IN SEVEN STEPS

A typical limb-lengthening procedure at the BETZ INSTITUTE^® can be divided into seven characteristic steps. The complete treatment time from the operation until the removal of the nails takes about 1.5 to 3 years. Immediately after the operation, on the same day, the patients are mobilized in full weight-bearing conditions. After that first day, the patient is still allowed to bear their own full weight. But it has been shown that longer distances (2 - 3 km/1.25 - 1.86 miles per day) can be completed with a much more precise gait pattern if the patients make use of crutches. Usually, our patients are able to normally walk without any help from crutches after a period of 6 months to 1 year after the operation, though that is, of course, dependent on the lengthening distance and the osteogeneration.