United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Has anyone had bone lengthening surgery was it as painful as it looks with the brace and all my son is 13 and will be having 1st the mod quad then bone lengthening surgery with Dr Nath I have heard about the success of mod quad but nothing about bone lengthening please help need info Thanks Mare

Hi Mare. I have had my bone lengthened in my upper left arm. I'm going to assume that Dr. Nath is going to do the same type of surgery that my doctor did since I am an avid researcher and I'm not yet aware of any new ways to lengthen the bone since my bone lengthening in 2004. I had the surgery done with Dr. Janet Conway at The International Center for Limb Lengthening inside The Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore,MD. I recently posted my experience on it in the Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Injured Adults Message Boards titled "New to UBPN 25 yr old Female" if you care to read it. It is not painful it just looks painful. It takes a while for the holes in the arm to stop bleeding out around the surgical pins that are inserted through the muscle and into the bone. Your son will probably feel like I did. I felt like the fixator and pins in my arm just kind of became part of my arm. I could not actually feel them in my arm. The only time I felt a little pain was when we had to turn the knobs the first few times on the fixator. I'm not sure if Dr. Nath has explained to you yet but everyday you have to turn the knobs on the fixator(brace) according to the doctor's guidelines to slowly move the surgically broken bone apart to allow room for the new bone that will be grown in place of the empty space that you make longer each day by turning the knobs. Then towards the end of having the fixator on you don't turn the knobs anymore you just let the bone grow in. First the length is achieved and then the bone grows in to make it permanent.It's kind of like falling and accidentally breaking your arm but the difference is that instead of the doctor putting the break back in place and putting a cast on it to hold the break together you get a fixator(brace) and surgical pins that are attatched to the fixator to keep the break apart so that new bone will fill in that area and add length to the arm. My experience was great. My limb length difference was corrected in about four months. Scarring is minimal. By the way Dr. Nath is great. I had tendon lengthening done by him in 2001. You're in good hands. My only concern is that you mentioned your son is thirteen and the impression that I was given when I was going through it is that it's better if it's done when you have reached a minimum or certain level of physical maturity or are no longer growing but I'm not a doctor so I could have misunderstood. If you need any further info I will be glad to help.

Best Wishes and Good Luck,
Chloe'

Chloe' 1st Let me tell you how much your info is helping my son and I. You said both the length and position were corrected at the same time, was that for your lower arm? Dr Nath said there would be a second to reposition the lower arm so the palm was down. In your response about his age I would think the same but Dr Nath said the younger the better the results ,but I will still contact Dr Conway I feel its always best to get a few opinions I had about 5 before my sons primary surgery Thanks Again Mare

I too have heard that the main growing should be over before this works, or you keep having to do it again. Dr Nath is a plastic surgeon, it would probably be a good idea to check with an ortho familiar with bone lengthening.
Good luck!

I totally agree and don't understand why he said he wouldn't do the tendon lengthening I've talked others with bad contractures that it worked well for my son can bend a straighten his arm some what and uses it constantly to carry and lift things I'll have to see what Drs say Thanks for the reply Mare

Hi Mare. Yes the correction for the positioning was for my lower arm and was taken care of at the same time without any second surgeries.The fixator that I mentioned had certain knobs that controlled the positioning of the lower arm and certain knobs controlled the bone growth in my upper arm. It's kind of hard to describe the way my arm was hanging but by the end it was more natural looking and didn't look so much like I was holding it a certain way.

Best Wishes

Chloe'

I also had bone lengthening. They did the upper arm first and then the lower arm a few years later. It was a great experience with a total gain of 5 inches (2.5 from top and 2.5 from bottom). I was just ending 3rd grade when I had the first operation and ending 5th when I had the second. Dr. Dror Paley in Baltimore. Hope this helps!

You state that first the upper part of your arm was lengthen then the lower part. So your forearm was lengthen too. I ask because Dr. Nath said that the forearm wouldn't grown any longer like the humerus would. How long has it been since you have lengthen your arm? What advantages and disadvantages have you encountered?