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Leg Length Discrepancy Surgery Cost

Overview

Surgical options in leg length discrepancy treatment include procedures to lengthen the shorter leg, or shorten the longer leg. Your child's physician will choose the safest and most effective method based on the aforementioned factors. No matter the surgical procedure performed, physical therapy will be required after surgery in order to stretch muscles and help support the flexibility of the surrounding joints. Surgical shortening is safer than surgical lengthening and has fewer complications. Surgical procedures to shorten one leg include removing part of a bone, called a bone resection. They can also include epiphysiodesis or epiphyseal stapling, where the growth plate in a bone is tethered or stapled. This slows the rate of growth in the surgical leg.Leg Length Discrepancy

Causes

Limb-length conditions can result from congenital disorders of the bones, muscles or joints, disuse or overuse of the bones, muscles or joints caused by illness or disease, diseases, such as bone cancer, Issues of the spine, shoulder or hip, traumatic injuries, such as severe fractures that damage growth plates.

Symptoms

The patient/athlete may present with an altered gait (such as limping) and/or scoliosis and/or low back pain. Lower extremity disorders are possibly associated with LLD, some of these are increased hip pain and degeneration (especially involving the long leg). Increased risk of: knee injury, ITB syndrome, pronation and plantar fascitis, asymmetrical strength in lower extremity. Increased disc or vertebral degeneration. Symptoms vary between patients, some patients may complain of just headaches.

Diagnosis

Infants, children or adolescents suspected of having a limb-length condition should receive an evaluation at the first sign of difficulty in using their arms or legs. In many cases, signs are subtle and only noticeable in certain situations, such as when buying clothing or playing sports. Proper initial assessments by qualified pediatric orthopedic providers can reduce the likelihood of long-term complications and increase the likelihood that less invasive management will be effective. In most cases, very mild limb length discrepancies require no formal treatment at all.

Non Surgical Treatment

Treatment is based on an estimate of how great the difference in leg length will be when the child grows up, Small differences (a half inch or less) do not need treatment. Differences of a half to one inch may require a lift inside the shoe.

Leg Length Discrepancy

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Surgical Treatment

Leg shortening is employed when LLD is severe and when a patient has already reached skeletal maturity. The actual surgery is called an osteotomy , which entails the removal of a small section of bone in the tibia (shinbone) and sometimes the fibula as well, resulting in the loss of around an inch in total height. Leg lengthening is a difficult third option that has traditionally had a high complication rate. Recently, results have improved somewhat with the emergence of a technique known as callotasis , in which only the outer portion of the bone (the cortex ) is cut, (i.e. a corticotomy ). This allows the bone to be more easily lengthened by an external fixation device that is attached to either side of the cut bone with pins through the skin. The ?ex-fix,' as it is sometimes called, is gradually adjusted by an orthopaedic surgeon, and healing can occur at the same time that the leg is being distracted , or lengthened over time. Unlike epiphysiodesis, leg lengthening procedures can be performed at almost any skeletal or chronological age.