The Classic: On the Means of Lengthening, in the Lower Limbs, the Muscles and Tissues Which are Shortened Through Deformity

摘要

The difficulties to be encountered in lengthening a shortened limb, are found, in operation, to be greater as regards the fleshy parts, than as regards the bones. It is comparatively easy to remove the splinters of a fractured bone which is wrongly consolidated; to separate a curved bone; or to perform an oblique osteotomy, but a decided limit is arrived at in the correction of a displacement, or in the lengthening of the bones, by reason of the contraction, or resistance, of the muscles. Our supreme consideration must therefore be given in striving to overcome this resistance on the part of the muscles, without however damaging in any way the action of the tissues. This is the special subject on which I desire to enlarge, as it appears to me that this important part in the cure of deformity of the limbs, has never been sufficiently taken into consideration.As things stand at present, we trust to empiric measures to overcome this contraction of the muscles, whereas in reality mathematical precision should be used, in each special case.