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Nine-Year-Old First in UK to Undergo Leg-Lengthening Surgery

2/17/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Alfie Phillips, a nine-year-old from Northampton, became the first patient in the United Kingdom to undergo leg-lengthening surgery for fibular hemimelia.
The procedure implanted a lengthening nail in Alfie's thigh bone and used magnets to gradually pull it apart, producing a 3 cm height increase.
Almost a year after the surgery, Alfie reports feeling good and taller, with a swift recovery, according to his surgeon Nick Peterson.

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Story summary

Alfie Phillips, a nine-year-old from Northampton, became the first patient in the United Kingdom to undergo leg-lengthening surgery for fibular hemimelia.
The procedure implanted a lengthening nail in Alfie's thigh bone and used magnets to gradually pull it apart, producing a 3 cm height increase.
Almost a year after the surgery, Alfie reports feeling good and taller, with a swift recovery, according to his surgeon Nick Peterson.