The risks behind surgery that makes people taller

The man, who presents himself to the public as Mr Broken Bonez (Lord Broken Bones, in free translation), grew 17 centimeters thanks to a lengthy and painful process that can cost, in some cases, almost R$1 million.

No TikTok and Instagram, Bonez said he reached 174,5 cm after having surgery on his femur. Then, he had the procedure done on his tibia to reach 182 cm. But it is not enough to just operate and wait for the bone to grow. The influencer shows that he needed daily physiotherapy sessions and strength exercises for his body to adapt to the changes.

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A post shared by @mrbrokenbonez

Height increase surgery?

Orthopedic doctor Gabriel Couto explains that Height increase surgery is invasive and consists of break the femur or tibia bone — sometimes both — to gain a few inches.

“Normally, an external fixator, popularly known as a cage, is placed, which will be distanced daily so that the bone can be lengthened.”

The cage is slowly lengthened by up to one millimeter per day, stretching until the patient reaches the desired height and their bones are left to heal again. The process can last up to six months.

What are the risks of surgery?

People with a bone deformity, such as having one leg larger than the other, may benefit from surgery. However, the operation has been gaining aesthetic purposes, which raises controversies and concerns.

Although there are improved techniques and technology to reduce risks, height increase surgery continues extremely complex. In addition to bones needing to grow, more muscles, nerves and blood vessels also need to develop.

When choosing to undergo the procedure, it is important to understand that it is a complex, expensive, high-risk surgery with a long recovery process.

“The patient is exposed to this procedure for a long time, around four to five months, making the fixator move to gain length”, explains Couto.

He says that one of the main complications is infection which, if not combated with the use of antibiotics, can spread and affect noble regions and structures. In more serious cases, the condition can progress to a generalized infection which can lead to death.

“In addition, the patient may have muscle injuries, chronic pain, pseudoarthrosis (when the bone does not stick together) and rotational deviations of the bone.

@curtonews

In recent weeks, a man went viral on social media after sharing his growth from 165 cm in height to 182 cm after undergoing surgery that broke his leg bones. But what are the risks of this procedure?

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Male aesthetic pressure

Outside Brazil, clinics confirm that surgeries to increase height have been increasingly sought after by men. They undergo the procedure to try to improve their self-confidence and comment that, generally, women don't date men shorter than them.

Behind this desire is also social pressure, which influences their decision. Data from Forbes magazine suggests that the average height of the 500 richest people on the planet is 182 cm. In other words, the aesthetics of being taller prevail over the physical and mental well-being that can be achieved withpromehad with the procedure.

According to doctor Gabriel Couto, men are the ones who most seek the procedure for a aesthetic issue. “There is still the idea that men have to sell that image that being tall is attractive and that they have more authority.”

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