When lengthening the leg, a common issue is bone deformity. It often arises from a slight misalignment of the bone ends when they are separated and drilled for fixation screws. These angles are usually small, and if this happens your doctor will often say, “It’s nothing to worry about,” but it can still cause significant discomfort in terms of appearance, walking, standing, and jumping—especially when the tibia is bent. You may need corrective surgery once the bone has consolidated, but for misalignments under 8°, most hospitals will refuse to operate because it is not considered a pathological condition. In those cases, you have to turn to cosmetic orthopedic clinics for treatment.

I am currently researching and developing a device that can mechanically realign the angle—similar to how braces shift teeth. This tool would bend the bone gradually by being worn for a few hours each day over several months. It could be made from simple, readily available materials or designed as an automated machine. Right now, I’m testing its effectiveness on a piece of wood or metal, using posts to anchor and apply bending force to simulate how it would work on the leg. It appears that it can bend by approximately 0.1–0.2 degrees per week.

Bone deformity following lengthening and a tool to correct it.
You can build your own leg‑bone bending tool using simple, readily available materials.

Note: This device can also be beneficial for individuals with knock knees or bow legs!