Relative elongation of the femoral neck

The indication for this the relative elongation of the femoral neck is Legg-Calvé-Perthes. In this, the outer part of the femur may be too high in relation to the head of the femur. The problem here is that the muscles that attach to the outer part have too little leverage. Thus, one can deliver little force. The load on the hip joint is also not optimal because of this. The cartilage of the hip joint can deteriorate faster (osteoarthritis).

If a hip replacement ever needs to be placed, it is also crucial to have the outer part of the femur in the right place.

And that is what the relative lengthening of the femoral neck does: through an incision on the side of the femur, the outer part of the femur is detached. Afterwards, this is moved down a little bit. This is reattached with 2-3 screws.

The bone needs to grow back solid. This takes 6 weeks. During those 6 weeks, you may partially support yourself, using 2 crutches. After 6 weeks the bone has healed enough to start rehabilitation.

Would you like more information? Feel free to make an appointment with our specialists.