Dr. Aman Khanna, an orthopaedic surgeon in Surat, India, performs limb lengthening by the LON method (a standard intramedullary nail plus an LRS external fixator). The international package, from USD 15,000 to 16,000 for bilateral tibial or bilateral femoral lengthening, covers surgery, hospital, implants, anaesthesia, tests, psychological assessment, physiotherapy, Surat accommodation and airport transfers. Recovery takes 12 to 18 months, risks exist, and candidacy is decided at consultation.
For adults aged 18 and over whose growth plates have closed.
Reviewed by Dr. Aman Khanna, M.S. Orthopaedics, an orthopaedic surgeon. Limb lengthening is bone surgery, not physiotherapy.
Last reviewed 9 October 2026. Consultation fee INR 10,000. Surgery fees are quoted after assessment.
In the LON (lengthening over nail) method, a standard intramedullary nail sits inside the bone and an LRS external fixator lengthens it from outside in small daily steps, the distraction phase; the new bone then hardens in the consolidation phase. In a pooled analysis of 13 studies and 629 patients, mostly non-cosmetic, LON needed less time in the external fixator and had fewer pin-site infections and axial deviations than the Ilizarov frame alone (PMID 39223554). Gain is up to about 6 cm per segment, decided from X-rays; a systematic review of cosmetic lengthening reports a mean of 6.7 cm (PMID 32670567).
Problems are common. That review of 795 patients reports a mean of 0.78 problems, 0.94 obstacles and 0.15 complications per patient on the Paley classification: a problem resolves without intervention, an obstacle needs a further procedure, and a complication is a problem that remains or causes lasting harm (PMID 32670567). A 2025 meta-analysis of 489 patients found Paley problems in 56 percent with external fixation and 37 percent with intramedullary nailing (PMID 39801900). These are published cohorts using different techniques, not Living Taller results; our own audited series is yet to be published. More is on the risks page.
Not everyone who asks is suitable. A study of cosmetic LON in 32 patients stressed that patient selection is of paramount importance and that every patient had a psychiatric evaluation (PMID 30399986); our package includes a psychological assessment for that reason.
Cost is the usual reason; English-speaking care and one planned stay in Surat are the others. Compare what each price includes; the table shows it.
Figures were read on each seller's own page or a marketplace listing on 9 October 2026. Clinics are not named in the text; links are in the sources at the foot of the page.
| Source | Published figure | Source says it includes | Source says it excludes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living Taller, Surat. LON (nail and LRS frame), bilateral tibia or bilateral femur | USD 15,000 to 16,000 | Surgery, hospital, LON implants, anaesthesia, pre-operative tests, psychological assessment, in-stay physiotherapy, accommodation for the Surat stay, airport transfers | Flights, meals, nail removal, home-country physiotherapy. Fitbone motorised nail: surcharge quoted at consultation |
| A Bursa clinic's listing on a medical-travel marketplace. LON, both legs 1 | USD 21,300 | Surgery, 7 hospital days, meals, nursing, pre-operative tests, transfers; also lists "90 days in the hotel" | Airfare, hotel accommodation (the page lists hotel days both ways), home physiotherapy and wound care |
| An Istanbul clinic's own cost page. LON, both legs of one segment 2 | USD 26,400 | Airport transport, implants, 4-day hospital stay, native-language companion, surgical team, a 6-month complication insurance policy, 2 nights pre-operative hotel | Post-hospital accommodation, daily meals, daily physiotherapy and medications after discharge (billed separately) |
| Two US centres' own pages. Femur or tibia package 3 4 | USD 84,000 to 125,000 | Operating room, hospital stay, anaesthesia, imaging, physiotherapy sessions, follow-up fees | Travel and accommodation after discharge, nail removal, costs of complications. One page states bilateral; the other does not say |
Published prices, inclusions and techniques differ; shown for context only. The US figures are for motorised internal nails, a different device from LON. Nothing here ranks a country or a clinic; where a clinic's page and this table differ, the clinic's page governs.
Your total is the package plus return flights for you and any companion, meals, nail removal later (a second operation), physiotherapy and X-rays at home, an interpreter if needed, and time away from work during a 12 to 18 month recovery. The cost calculator adds each line for your country. See also the cost page and the cost comparison article.
Consultations, consent and written plans are in English; an Arabic interpreter can be arranged with notice. Dr. Khanna completed a sports medicine, hip and knee fellowship at Croix-Rousse, Lyon, and is a member of ISAKOS, AO Spine and the Indian Orthopaedic Association (about the surgeon).
Surgery takes place at Mahavir Hospital, Mahavir Health Campus, Ring Rd, Athwa Gate, Surat 395001, run by Shree Mahavir Health & Medical Relief Society, which describes itself as serving South Gujarat since 1978 (hospital website, read 9 Oct 2026).
Accreditation status: to be published; verify on the NABH portal. We do not claim JCI accreditation. Ask us for the certificate for the unit where you will be treated, and check it before you travel.
You travel to Surat once per surgical stage and stay for the whole lengthening phase. Consolidation then happens at home, and nail removal is a separate, later operation.
Arrival, pre-operative tests, surgery, hospital stay and X-rays. You stay in Surat for the whole lengthening phase, usually six to ten weeks per stage, with supervised physiotherapy; you fly home once lengthening is complete and the frame is off, and the bone consolidates at home with remote review.
Consolidation with scheduled video and X-ray reviews, and physiotherapy by your local therapist from our written protocol. See aftercare when you fly home.
A second operation after the bone has healed, not in the package. It can be done in Surat or by a surgeon at home; the quote says which.
Who meets you. Airport transfers are in the package, so a driver is arranged for arrival and departure, and your written itinerary names who meets you. Interpreter. Tell us when you request the quote if you need Arabic; an interpreter is arranged with notice, charged by the day, outside the package price.
A two-stage plan (tibia, then femur) means two stays and two packages, with the combined price quoted at consultation. The Fitbone motorised nail, the only motorised internal nail we offer, is a surcharge quoted at consultation; the LON package uses a standard intramedullary nail with an external fixator. The methods are compared on the methods page and the usual sequence is in the process article.
Write on WhatsApp with your age, height, the gain you are considering and any past surgery or conditions. A question is enough.
Send standing long-leg X-rays and reports by WhatsApp, email or the intake form. Dr. Khanna reviews them first.
By video, or in person in Surat. Consultation fee INR 10,000. Surgery fees are quoted after assessment. Gain, method, risks and candidacy are discussed; some people are advised not to proceed.
The assessment is part of the package. The written quote lists what is included, excluded and quoted separately (what is included).
Payment stages are on the what is included page. Apply for the e-Medical Visa and book flights; a companion can apply for an e-Medical Attendant Visa.
Airport transfer, pre-operative tests and a final review with the surgeon before consent.
Surgery and hospital stay, then the whole lengthening phase in Surat under supervision, with physiotherapy and X-rays.
You fly home once lengthening is complete and the frame is off, when the surgeon is satisfied with the X-rays. You leave with your records, X-rays, a physiotherapy protocol for your local therapist and the written complication pathway.
Distance limits follow-up at any clinic.
Consolidation happens after you leave. We review by video and by X-rays taken locally, but we cannot examine you by video.
The stay in Surat is six to ten weeks per stage; recovery to full activity is 12 to 18 months, with limits on walking, work and travel for part of it. Plan leave, a companion and local physiotherapy first.
A complication that needs surgery may mean returning to Surat or being treated by a local surgeon, at costs outside the package.
The evidence says this matters. A UK limb reconstruction unit reported seven patients who came back for rehabilitation after limb lengthening abroad; six had cosmetic femoral lengthening, all needed physiotherapy, two needed major surgery for complications, and the net cost to the Trust was GBP 36,448 (PMID 42229514; RNOH news item). A US referral centre described 22 procedures with nail complications, most done outside the US: hardware failure in 23 percent and mal- or nonunion in 45 percent, with no serious long-term irreversible outcome after treatment (PMID 40051788). These are small series about other centres, not about us. They are why we wrote aftercare when you fly home: a tele-follow-up schedule, an X-ray review protocol, a written protocol for your local physiotherapist and a written complication pathway, all given before you travel.
The itemised quote follows the X-ray review. The full list, payment stages and what happens if a complication extends the stay are on the what is included page.
All run in your browser, need no sign-up, and are for adults.
Adds flights, stay, aftercare and nail removal to each published price.
Shows what a gain of up to about 6 cm per segment means for your height and proportions.
Compares your height with published national averages.
Country pages with the source for every figure.
Most international patients enter India on the e-Medical Visa. Flight times are approximate and vary by airline and connection; check with your airline.
| From | Approximate flight to Mumbai or Ahmedabad | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UAE (Dubai) | About 3 to 4 hours | Dubai & UAE, Gulf patients. Arabic interpreter on request. |
| Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | About 4 to 5 hours | Gulf patients. الصفحة العربية. |
| United Kingdom (London) | About 9 to 10.5 hours nonstop | United Kingdom. Arrange local follow-up before you travel. |
| United States, Canada, Australia | About 13 to 22 hours with one stop, depending on city | Larger time-zone gap; video reviews are booked at agreed times. |
| Nigeria (Lagos) | Usually one stop; about 14 to 20 hours in total | Check health-entry rules for your origin on the Indian government portal. |
| Kenya (Nairobi) | About 6 to 8 hours | Check health-entry rules for your origin on the Indian government portal. |
Onward travel from Mumbai or Ahmedabad to Surat is by short domestic flight, rail or road. Times are planning ranges, not timetables.
The Indian government portal lists medical treatment as a purpose for the e-Medical Visa and allows an e-Medical Attendant Visa for a companion. Both are valid for one year (365 days) from arrival with multiple entries; you may apply online at least 4 days before arrival, within a 120-day window; only two attendant visas are granted per patient. Eligible nationalities are listed on the portal. Official page: indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html (read 9 Oct 2026). Rules change; confirm on the portal.
Limb lengthening is major bone surgery and problems are common in the published studies. A review of 795 cosmetic patients reports a mean of 0.78 problems, 0.94 obstacles and 0.15 complications per patient on the Paley classification (PMID 32670567). A UK unit reported seven patients returning after surgery abroad, two of whom needed major corrective surgery (PMID 42229514). These are published figures, not Living Taller results, and not a prediction for you.
Living Taller's international package runs from USD 15,000 to 16,000 for bilateral tibial or bilateral femoral lengthening by the LON method. It includes surgery, hospital, implants, anaesthesia, tests, psychological assessment, in-stay physiotherapy, Surat accommodation and airport transfers, and excludes flights, meals, nail removal and home physiotherapy. Fitbone is a surcharge; a two-stage plan is two packages, with a combined price quoted at consultation. Consultation fee INR 10,000. Surgery fees are quoted after assessment.
Both offer the LON method and clinics in both publish prices. Figures read on 9 Oct 2026 were USD 15,000 to 16,000 for the Living Taller package and USD 21,300 and USD 26,400 for two Turkish listings covering both legs. Inclusions differ line by line, so compare the lists, not the totals, and ask every centre who reviews your X-rays after you fly home and who pays for a complication. This page does not rank countries or clinics.
You stay in Surat for the whole lengthening phase, usually six to ten weeks per stage, with supervised physiotherapy; you fly home once lengthening is complete and the frame is off, and the bone consolidates at home with remote review. The exact length is set from your planned gain and X-rays and is stated in your written plan. Recovery to full activity takes 12 to 18 months in cosmetic cases.
The aftercare plan gives a written complication pathway: who to contact on WhatsApp, which red flags need your local emergency department the same day, and how a revision is planned and costed. Distance is a real limit: some complications need hands-on treatment, and a local surgeon may have to act first.
Most visitors do. The e-Medical Visa covers medical treatment: according to the Indian visa portal it is valid for one year (365 days) from arrival with multiple entries, and up to two e-Medical Attendant visas are granted per patient. Eligibility depends on your passport; check the portal before booking flights.
More answers are on the FAQ page.
Ask in writing. A written quote follows an X-ray review, and candidacy is decided at consultation. Consultation fee INR 10,000. Surgery fees are quoted after assessment.