The LON Method: Lengthening Over Nail

LON stands for lengthening over nail. An intramedullary nail is placed inside the bone, and a lightweight external frame is fixed around the leg to drive the lengthening. The frame does the distraction; the nail keeps everything aligned and takes the load, so you can walk with support from the first week. When the target length is reached, the frame comes off in a short procedure and the nail stays until the new bone is solid.

Why most patients choose it

• Early walking: the nail allows partial weight bearing almost at once, which protects the joints and the mood.
• Shorter time in a frame: two to three months instead of the six to nine of a classical frame.
• Lower cost than a fully internal motorised nail, with a comparable amount of lengthening.
• Proven: it is the method with the longest track record for cosmetic lengthening in our surgeon’s hands.

How the surgery is done

Under general anaesthesia, through small incisions, the surgeon prepares the canal of the bone, performs a controlled osteotomy, inserts the nail and locks it at one end, then fixes the external frame with thin pins. The operation takes three to five hours for both legs. You spend about four nights in a private room.

Distraction, a millimetre a day

From about the fifth to the seventh day you start turning the frame: a quarter of a millimetre, four times a day. Eight centimetres takes about eighty days. A nurse teaches you the routine and visits for pin-site care; a physiotherapist works with you five days a week; an X-ray every two weeks lets the surgeon check the new bone and adjust the rate.

Frame removal and consolidation

When the length is reached, the frame is removed in a short procedure and the nail is locked at the other end. From here the nail carries the load while the regenerate hardens. You fly home a few days later and continue physiotherapy there, sending X-rays to the surgeon until the bone is consolidated, usually three to six months after removal.

Trade-offs we tell you about

• You live with an external frame for two to three months: loose trousers, careful showering, daily pin-site care.
• Pin-site infections are common and usually minor, but they need attention every day.
• Scars: small incisions for the nail and a pattern of small pin-site marks that fade over the first year.
• Two procedures in Yerevan: the surgery and the frame removal. A third, optional, if you later want the nail out.

What it costs

From $[X], all-inclusive. See the cost page for what is included and what changes the price.

Is LON right for you?

If you want up to 8 cm, can accept a frame for two to three months, and want to walk early and keep the cost reasonable, LON is usually the answer. If you cannot accept any visible hardware, ask about the fully internal nail; if your bone or your case needs the control of a circular frame, the surgeon will say so.

Ask whether LON suits your X-rays