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Limb lengthening before & after, honestly.

What limb lengthening — “height surgery” — results actually look like: patient-published before-and-after video diaries and peer-reviewed outcome data. We do not reprint clinic before/after marketing photos; we link to the science and to the patients who shared their own journeys. Everything here links to a primary source.

The honest risk pictureComplications & real rates, by method and age
Patient voices · Unedited video

What the recovery actually looks like — from the patients themselves.

We embed (we do not host) patient-published videos so credit and ownership stay with the creator. Click play to load YouTube; otherwise no third-party tracking runs.

3rd week of my Limb Lengthening Journey | On my way to get ...
LiveLifeTaller
1,5 year after my limb lengthening and limb correction surgery ...
LiveLifeTaller
Full Recovery After Limb Lengthening: What Actually Happens
Cyborg 4 Life
My Full recovery after 7.4 cm limb lengthening on upper leg ...
LiveLifeTaller
I Got Taller! | It Was Painless and I Gained Confidence
Limb Lengthening Surgery - Wanna Be Taller
He Gained 9.5 cm with Limb Lengthening Surgery: Turkish ...
Prof. Dr. Yuksel Yurttas | Limb Lengthening
A PATIENT WHO DID LIMB LENGTHENING 20 YEARS AGO ...
LiveLifeTaller
He Added 4 Inches to His Height: Ryo's Limb Lengthening ...
Cyborg 4 Life
Day 157 After Limb Lengthening Surgery: Our Patient's ...
Limb Lengthening Surgery - Wanna Be Taller
Channels & communities

Where these patients keep posting.

Public diaries chosen for their honesty about both successful outcomes and complications. We link out; the patient owns the story.

Cyborg4Life

YouTube

r/limblengthening community curator

The most-cited patient diary creator in the community. Underwent femoral lengthening, documented entire recovery from pre-op consultation through 12+ months. Practical recovery videos, no monetization-driven content.

MethodPRECICE 2Reported outcome~7 cm femoral gain
Open on YouTube

LimbplastX Patient Series

YouTube

Patient-narrated, surgeon-shared (Dr. Mahboubian)

Multi-patient channel featuring outcomes from LimbplastX Institute in Las Vegas. Includes recovery footage, distraction phase realities, and frank discussion of complications when they occurred.

MethodPRECICE 2, PRECICE Max
Open on YouTube

r/limblengthening — "5'4\" → 5'9\" journey"

Reddit

Self-posted patient diary

A long-running thread series in the dedicated subreddit (~30k members). Patients post month-by-month updates, x-ray imaging, recovery photos, complication discussions. The most honest aggregate signal we know about what patients actually experience.

Open on Reddit

MakeMeTaller forum diaries

Forum

makemetaller.org community

Long-form patient diaries on the oldest dedicated community forum. Predates Reddit; useful for outcomes 5–15 years out (long-term follow-up patients are rare on newer platforms).

Open on Forum

r/limblengthening Surgeon Megathread

Reddit

Community-curated wiki

Community-maintained surgeon ratings, price comparisons, and post-op complication aggregates. Worth reading alongside our directory — patient consensus on the same names we list.

Open on Reddit
The evidence

Peer-reviewed outcome data — published, sourced, citable.

The studies below are the basis for the outcome numbers we cite across the site (complication rates, distraction speeds, recovery timelines). Read the figures in their original published context.

Bone & Joint Research · 2020PMC7342054

Cosmetic stature lengthening: systematic review of outcomes and complications

Marwan Y et al. — systematic review, 795 patients across 11 studies

Across 795 patients in 11 studies, mean lengthening was 6.7 cm (range 1.5–13.0). The rate of serious major complications was low; most events were problems and obstacles (pin-site issues, joint stiffness) rather than true complications. In Novikov's 131-patient cosmetic Ilizarov series, the overall complication rate was 37%. Internal-nail methods report lower rates than external fixators.

Read the paper
JBJS Open Access · 2023

Outcomes after lengthening for cosmetic indication using magnetically controlled intramedullary nails

Multi-center cohort, Paley et al.

Magnetic intramedullary nails (PRECICE) achieved target lengthening of 6–8 cm in 94% of patients with consolidation rates of 0.8–1.2 mm/day. Complication rate substantially lower than historical external-fixator series for the same indication.

Read the paper
FDA medical device communications · 2021

PRECICE Stryde nail corrosion and the 2021 FDA Class I recall

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The FDA issued a Class I recall (most serious tier) of the PRECICE Stryde nail in April 2021 due to reports of corrosion at the telescoping junction, with associated bone changes. NuVasive ceased US distribution. Clinics still listing Stryde post-recall should be questioned directly.

Read the paper
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery · 2022

Patient-reported satisfaction, function, and psychological outcome after cosmetic stature lengthening

Aesthetic outcomes meta-analysis

Self-reported satisfaction with the cosmetic outcome was high (>85%) at 12 months, but a non-trivial minority (12–18%) reported persistent functional or psychological issues at 24+ months. Pre-operative psychological screening — rare in cosmetic-LL practice — correlates strongly with positive long-term outcome.

Read the paper
Before & after — straight answers

Are there before-and-after results for limb lengthening surgery?

Yes — the most honest before-and-after evidence is patient-published video diaries that document height and mobility month by month, plus peer-reviewed studies with radiographs. Across 795 patients in a 2020 systematic review, mean lengthening was 6.7 cm. We link to those patient diaries and studies rather than reprinting clinic marketing galleries.

How much height do you actually see in a before and after?

A single bone segment (femurs or tibias) typically shows about 5–8 cm (2–3 inches) of gain from before to after. Larger changes generally require lengthening a second segment in a separate operation. Patient video diaries are the clearest way to see a realistic before-and-after over the full 12–18 month recovery, not just a posed photo pair.

Why don’t you show before-and-after photos like other sites?

Clinic before/after galleries are marketing: patients rarely consented to global re-publication, the images are not licensed for re-use, and they carry selection bias no editorial review can correct. We link to peer-reviewed radiographs in their original context and to patients who chose to publish their own diaries — the patient keeps ownership of the photo and the story.

Are limb lengthening before-and-after photos real?

Some are; many marketing galleries show best-case or lightly edited results. The most reliable signal is unedited patient video published by the patient, and peer-reviewed outcome data. Both are collected on this page, chosen for honesty about complications as well as successes.

How we choose what to link

Patient diaries are included if they have at least 6 months of public posting history, address complications honestly (not just success), and were published by the patient themselves — not by a clinic in the patient's name. Studies are included if they are peer-reviewed, open-access where possible, and address cosmetic-indication distraction-osteogenesis specifically.

If you are a patient or surgeon who would like to add a diary or study to this page, email the editorial desk.

Are you a clinic?

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We verify every clinic before listing — surgeons, methods, hospital affiliation, regulatory status. Submit your clinic for editorial review. No paid rankings. No hidden fees.

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