Dr. Axel Becker is a specialist in leg lengthening, a specialist in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, a specialist in orthopedics and trauma surgery and carries out cosmetic leg lengthenings in his special clinic in Freiburg. For this purpose – only here – a minimally invasive leg lengthening method BETZBONE®, developed by him and unique in the world, is used.
People who want to gain height and are interested in leg lengthening find that there are numerous different lengthening mechanisms for leg lengthening. So systems that make leg lengthening possible such as: mechanical extension systems, electrical extension systems, magnetic extension systems that are implanted into the bone and ensure lengthening using different techniques. As a layperson you rightly ask yourself, what if these systems fail? This blog post is dedicated to the topic of failure of the extension mechanisms.
The leg lengthening specialists Dr. med. A. Becker and Prof. Dr. A. Betz talk about whether a leg extension mechanism can fail or what has to happen for a leg extension mechanism to fail.
Dr. med. A. Becker
If we are talking about a failure of the leg extension mechanisms, something must be broken, otherwise the extension mechanism cannot fail. Correct? I haven’t seen this yet. Have you seen this yet?
Prof. Dr. med. A. Betz
I have seen it, but extremely rarely. And in the newer generations, i.e. the chrome cobalt versions of the mechanical extension nails, no longer. Sure, if you want, you can destroy everything. Alternating bending loads, for example, destroy everything. The stability of these nails is also not comparable to a solid nail. But it’s important to me to emphasize that I didn’t see any failure in the extension mechanics. Specifically: not once in the last 10 years.
Dr. med. A. Becker
Ok, so much for the mechanical extension systems. But what about the electrical extension mechanisms? Could there be possible sources of error here? Between power on and power off?
Because here you have to clearly see that a lot can happen between power on and, to put it loosely, “what comes out the back”. What I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t mean that just the fact that an activated mechanism – i.e. “power on” – means that an exact, well-defined extension is taking place. Because a lot can happen in between, i.e. there could be possible sources of error. That doesn’t mean that something has to happen, but I’m talking about the fact that possible sources of error can be hidden precisely in the “power on and power off” area. Do you see it similarly?
Prof. Dr. med. A. Betz
Right, that’s exactly how I see it too.
Dr. med. A. Becker
In my opinion, such sources of error could arise from the enormous muscle tension that builds up with every extension or from strain, i.e. from standing on it, i.e. from the load on the implant. Such things, for example, could be the reason why the extension mechanism, i.e. the extension, is not carried out.
Prof. Dr. med. A. Betz
Yeah right.
This is what you should know if you are interested in leg lengthening: In our Freiburg special clinic for leg lengthening, we only use the BETZBONE® extension nail. This internal extension mechanism is unique in the world and offers invaluable advantages for patients compared to other extension systems:
- Minimally invasive procedure
- Immediate mobility after lengthening surgery
- Maximum possible gentle lengthening process
- Innovative click mechanism
- Easiest click extension control
- 100% corrosion-free implant material
Let’s briefly explain them again
Leg extension systems: what is what?
Mechanical leg extension systems
Mechanical lengthening systems for height gain work on a purely mechanical principle. The extension mechanism is triggered by a so-called click mechanism. Well-known mechanical extension systems are the BETZBONE® extension nail made of 100% anti-corrosive material, chrome-cobalt and the previous nail, the Albizzia® nail.
Electric and magneto-mechanical leg extension systems
Electrical and magneto-mechanical extension systems for height gain work via a respective drive that is controlled outside the body, for example Fitbone® and PRECICE® extension nails.
Do you have any questions about leg extensions?
Write to us at: freiburg@beckerbetzinstitute.com
