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Child Item

Leg-Lengthening Surgery

Manny Pacquiao

A friend of mine sprang a surprise on me last week when he told me he's off to New Delhi to "make himself taller". I was completely caught off guard by this after he explained what it was.

Basically he's having a height-increasing procedure done where they break the bone in both of his limbs (one at a time) and pull it apart slowly in a process called "distraction", then the bone and muscle will eventually grow back.

I didn't think this act of playing God was possible but I checked the website out he showed me and I was astonished.

Here's the website if you're interested in this subject:

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Just a few questions for you guys:

1. What is your opinion of this extreme cosmetic surgery?

2. Would you ever get this done if you were small?

3. What height are you and are you secure/insecure about your height? (I'm 5' 11" for the record and I wish I was a neat-and-tidy 6' foot but I'm content with being over the average)

By the way, according to Wikipedia, the average height of an Irishman is: 1.775 m (5 ft 10 in) and the average height of an Irishwoman is: 1.635 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in).

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CrazyRabbit

IF I knew the procedure was totally safe, and it was reasonably priced, I'd go for it.

I'm 5'7" and whilst not bothered by this, there are advantages to being somewhat taller. E.G. as a motorcyclist, I was restricted in which bikes I could buy due to the seat height as it seems that they are mostly designed for people 5'9" and over.

And some people do treat you different depending on height. And for some it can cause self confidence issues.

I spent about €3000 on Laser Eye surgery a few years ago. Technically, I didn't need it as I could just continue to wear glasses. But it improved my quality of life, was practically risk free & affordable (at the time). I don't see much difference between that and surgery to increase height.

jester77

Crazy procedure. I know a lad who got hit by a car when he was a teenager and it badly broke his thigh bone. Once it healed he was left with one leg shorter and he had a procedure similar to this done. It involved getting metal rods put into his bones that protruded out through his skin. These were attached to a frame and every so often he would adjust the screws on the frame to stretch the bone. He was agony a lot of the time and the wounds where the metal rod went into his leg would often seep. You would want to be have serious self-image issues to even consider this.

Manny Pacquiao

Larianne wrote: »

Was this the same guy who was on the Late Late show last year?? Costs a fortune. Felt sorry for the guy, good looking lad but I guess he feels his short stature keeps him back in life?

No, he's never been on T.V.

Would his gait, posture and balance be way off coz his lower limbs wouldn't be in proportion to his upper limbs and trunk??

Your posture is your shoulders and spine - it shouldn't affect his posture, I don't think. They limit how much you can distract your bone to about 12 cm per bone because if you go over that, you'd have weak bones and probably break under your own body-weight.

Google "cosmetic leg-lengthening" if you have any more queries because I'm not a specialist.

smash

I watched a show about a dwarf that got it done, wal hilarious.

Manny Pacquiao

dearg lady wrote: »

That sounds pretty unlikely. 4 inches of new bone is gonna grow?! How long does it take?

It's unlikely alright because I was of the same opinion but people have done 5 inches in one surgery. He's a member of a forum called Make Me Taller (find on Google) where patients post their dairies. Some guy on there posted a story about how he went from 5' 4" to 5' 11".

I feel somehow robbed because that's the same height as me and I always feel better standing next to a group of short guys because a lot of my friends are well over 6 foot and even make me feel small - though, not small enough to undergo surgery but if I was shorter than the average height, I probably consider it.

username123

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

Your posture is your shoulders and spine - it shouldn't affect his posture, I don't think. They limit how much you can distract your bone to about 12 cm per bone because if you go over that, you'd have weak bones and probably break under your own body-weight.

Even a bunion can affect your posture. Orthopediac leg lengthening for cosmetic purposes is going to affect his gait and posture for sure. He will compensate for his new extra long legs and will find out later in life what a huge mistake that was. Not to mention the years of physio that will be required for such a procedure. Plus scar tissue which doesnt stretch. My understanding is its not the bone regrowth thats the limiting factor, its the soft tissues, muscles/tendons/ligaments. Madness, the guy could be putting himself in a wheelchair for vanity. Maybe he could spend the money on a good counseller to help him address his self esteem issues?

Manny Pacquiao

Canis Lupus wrote: »

lulz... all that pain time and money to go from small to slightly less small. I imagine if he's that self concious about himself he'll never be able to wear shorts again because of the lovely scars he'll he left with.

But then, it's his time, pain and money I suppose.

This is Ireland, not Australia - we have very little opportunities to wear shorts. Have you noticed our Summers are getting worse every year? Poxy global warming - it's not even much warmer either, just cloudier.

smash

It can take years to get those kind of inches from those surgeries. And during that time you have pins in your legs that are adjusted every few weeks.

Manny Pacquiao

Canis Lupus wrote: »

According to teh internetz it takes approx 1 month to grow 1 inch... Eurgh... makes my stomach turn to think about twisting some screws to pull apart a broken bone everyday...

Apparently the bone-breaking part is the least painful part, the skin being cut and muscles stretching as your legs get longer are the most painful part.

username123

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

Apparently the bone-breaking part is the least painful part, the skin being cut and muscles stretching as your legs get longer are the most painful part.

hahaha!!

Ive had orthopediac surgery, twice, and I can tell you straight up, bone pain is the worst pain you will ever feel and it lasts for YEARS!!! And still flares up in cold weather. Skin and muscle heal in no time and are nothing by comparison.

Mr Benevolent

I believe the procedure the OP is on about results in very weak bones, leading to a lot of breaks. Nasty stuff.

I'm 5'6", male and am the only one to make jokes about my height.

Bruthal

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

Apparently the bone-breaking part is the least painful part, the skin being cut and muscles stretching as your legs get longer are the most painful part.

I broke the leg nicely last december. The instant of fracture was not too painful, although it was fairly painful after a few minutes.

The months of recovery afterwards were worse though. Along with the hardship of doing anything, and that was just one leg gone. Still sore at times now.

A fair bit of research during the process tells that sometimes fractures dont unite properly. Seems a bit risky unless necessary.

Larianne

jester77 wrote: »

Crazy procedure. I know a lad who got hit by a car when he was a teenager and it badly broke his thigh bone. Once it healed he was left with one leg shorter and he had a procedure similar to this done. It involved getting metal rods put into his bones that protruded out through his skin. These were attached to a frame and every so often he would adjust the screws on the frame to stretch the bone. He was agony a lot of the time and the wounds where the metal rod went into his leg would often seep. You would want to be have serious self-image issues to even consider this.

Called an ilizarov frame that.

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

Your posture is your shoulders and spine - it shouldn't affect his posture, I don't think. They limit how much you can distract your bone to about 12 cm per bone because if you go over that, you'd have weak bones and probably break under your own body-weight.

Tis all connected - kinetic chain! You stub your toe, you walk funny for a bit and posture ain't gonna be right either.

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

Google "cosmetic leg-lengthening" if you have any more queries because I'm not a specialist.

Will do, thanks!

anhedonia

its truly mind-boggling, anyone electing for this needs to be heavily medicated.

In fact we could use advertisements for this procedure to entrap people who are in dire need of psychiatric treatment, when you arrive for your procedure you are dragged off by men in white coats.

get me 50 mils of thorazine, stat!

1ZRed

I'd love to be taller but this is just ridiculous. I'd imagine he'll run into many, many serious problems down the line if he goes through with this.

Bruthal

anhedonia wrote: »

its truly mind-boggling, anyone electing for this needs to be heavily medicated.

Id say so. Imagine getting it done without annesthetic

Manny Pacquiao

Rigol wrote: »

I don't think you mate has thought this out in an economic way.
Are benefits much greater than sacrifices in this case?

I don't know, I'm not him. They probably are, for instance, when I look at short guy, I say to myself: "I'm glad I'm not that short". It must be a confidence issue and it's proven that women prefer taller/bigger guys. Most women like to be controlled and protected by men because they're feel inferior, a short and skinny guy can't protect a woman from a rapist or an attacker.

Whats he expecting the benefits of this to be? Are they worth painful surgery?

No idea. My other friends are very tall (over 6' 2"), so he probably feels insecure around them. I can tell he's insecure because he only told me and his cousin. You have to admit, 5' 4" is very short for a man.

Benefits? More women probably and more intimidating to other men when in fights. I have tall female friends and I remember them updating their Facebook statuses about guys not being tall enough etc..

In fact, Roy Keane was told he's was too small, I'd say that was a confidence booster but how wrong was that coach/manager. It's seems smaller footballers are the best:

Roy Keane: 5' 10" (average height)
Messi 5' 7"
Maradona: 5' 6"
Pele: 5' 8"
Egder Davids: 5' 6"

Is he doing this with the intention of getting some more shex or something. Thinking that all women automatically swoon at a guy when he hits 6 foot.
Or is it something else? Is it a daily problem for him to be his natural height?

Insecurity. Same reason why women get breast implants - they're too small. Do you remember those Jenny Jones and Maury Povich T.V. shows? They used to have outrageous people on there who underwent plastic surgery and their reason for doing it is because they're insecure and felt more attractive.

If surgery makes them feel better, let them do it - unless you want them to be depressed and commit suicide.

Surgery > suicide

miss no stars

so, does his thigh or his shin get longer? Even his legs could look really weird and if the thigh and shin aren't lengthened equally surely walking becomes really strange

Teyla Emmagan

robbie7730 wrote: »

The months of recovery afterwards were worse though. Along with the hardship of doing anything, and that was just one leg gone. Still sore at times now.

A fair bit of research during the process tells that sometimes fractures dont unite properly. Seems a bit risky unless necessary.

Agreed, the healing is the worst part. I have had two operations on the one leg this year (the short one :pac:), the months of physio, crutches, swelling, drugs, infections, pain, physical restriction etc are a million times worse than the actual procedure. And even then you can be left with a bad result. I think you'd be mad to voluntarily do that to yourself.

Bruthal

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Agreed, the healing is the worst part. I have had two operations on the one leg this year (the short one :pac:), the months of physio, crutches, swelling, drugs, infections, pain, physical restriction etc are a million times worse than the actual procedure. And even then you can be left with a bad result. I think you'd be mad to voluntarily do that to yourself.

Yes that all sounds familiar, luckily I escaped any infection part, but the rest was rough.

username123

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

It must be a confidence issue and it's proven that women prefer taller/bigger guys.

Proven? By who? Where is this proof?

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

Most women like to be controlled and protected by men because they're feel inferior, a short and skinny guy can't protect a woman from a rapist or an attacker.

Women like to be respected. Ive never met a woman who wants to be controlled.

How often does the average guy have to ward off a rapist or an attacker? We're not living in a Steven Seagal movie.

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

More women probably and more intimidating to other men when in fights.

How many fights do you, I mean does he, plan to be in? I mean seriously? If any doctor operated on someone with this as a reason the doctor should be locked up.

Oh, and he wont be fighting anyone for a long long time, maybe never again - with his bad balance and weakened legs.

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

Insecurity. Same reason why women get breast implants - they're too small.

Breast implants are a totally different ballgame to leg lengthening. Are you aware that not many cosmetic surgeries require the patient to engage in months and maybe years of physiotherapy afterwards?

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

If surgery makes them feel better, let them do it - unless you want them to be depressed and commit suicide.

Surgery > suicide

I agree, but this kind of surgery could easily tip someone so fragile right over tbh.

Bruthal

username123 wrote: »

How often does the average guy have to ward off a rapist or an attacker? We're not living in a Steven Seagal movie.

Manny Pacquiao

LivelineDipso wrote: »

if it goes wrong he won't have a foot to stand on.

Yeah, I've read a few botch-stories. Google "Make Me Taller" and look for a forum called "MMT forums" or something like that. You don't need to register to read the patients' diaries.

Manny Pacquiao

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

There are benefits to being taller such as being more attractive to women and getting paid more on average but I don't think it's worth the risks and pain.

Don't be such a pussy. Pain is overrated, I spent 6 weeks in the hospital in 2011 over pancreatitis and I'm immune to pain after that. In fact, the first day of football training after a lazy Summer was nearly as painful but at least the doctors give you painkillers for surgery. Morphine is great, you don't feel anything on it and you're as high as a kite!

hardCopy

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

What reason is that?

Your ancestors' diets determine your height. Evolution can be a b!tch.

Your ancestors' diets do not determine your height, your diet and their genes would be the main factors.

Links234

Ignoring the horrible rationale of being "more intimidating in a fight" or whatever, surely many of those problems are societal? as in negative attitudes towards short men. I admit, I'm nearly 6 foot and can't relate to your friend, but surely the response to that is to call out those negative attitudes and challenge people on it, try and effect a change of perception on shorter men?

squirestarter

How old is your friend?

I personally think the idea is a bit childish, your friend needs to grow up

Manny Pacquiao

username123 wrote: »

Wow - just wow.

I doubt they will go for 4 inches of leg because the rest of his body will look ridiculously out of proportion if his legs are suddenly 4 inches longer than nature intended.

Imagine the joint problems down the line from putting yourself out of proportion like that - ouch!!!

Nature? Your ancestors' eating and exercise habits determine your height. If a man breaks his leg and permanently bends it out of shape, his genes may pass down to his son and his son will inherit a gammy leg. In essence, you control your children's/grandchildren's body shape before they are even born.

Nature would imply it naturally bones without anybodies' control - bullsh!t! It's still man-controlled/man-made. If you want your children to grow taller than whomever they inherited their genes from, then feed them foods and drinks rich in calcium and protein while they're in their growing years (ages: 0 - 21 for boys and 0 -18 for girls) and encourage your children to engage in sports that involve a lot of stretching of the bones and muscles.

UCDVet

Studies have shown taller men people out-earn shorter people for doing the same job and are generally considered more attractive, more mature, more capable.

Height is also one of the most universally agreed upon measures of physical attractiveness. I'm sure a hundred e-chicks will tell me how I'm wrong and how once they dated a guy who was one inch shorter than them and they were totally okay with it.....

But just about every scientific paper on the subject shows that height is very important in our society. Yes, yes, there is that one guy who is 5'2" and makes a billion euro. Good for him. Look at the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies compared to the median heights.

username123

Manny Pacquiao wrote: »

Nature? Your ancestors' eating and exercise habits determine your height. If a man breaks his leg and permanently bends it out of shape, his genes may pass down to his son and his son will inherit a gammy leg. In essence, you control your children's/grandchildren's body shape before they are even born.

Nature would imply it naturally bones without anybodies' control - bullsh!t! It's still man-controlled/man-made. If you want your children to grow taller than whomever they inherited their genes from, then feed them foods and drinks rich in calcium and protein while they're in their growing years (ages: 0 - 21 for boys and 0 -18 for girls) and encourage your children to engage in sports that involve a lot of stretching of the bones and muscles.

No, thats all wrong. Read a book on genetics. Genetic mutations dont happen and get passed on from broken bones.

You seem to be missing the point re nature intended. You can feed someone up on lots of protein and have them grow big and strong but their bodies will do so equally - not just one set of bones growing out of proportion with everything else.

And there is no such thing as exercise that involves stretching of the bones.

Seriously OP - dont do it.