She was 24 years old, and the fourth toe on her foot was noticeably shorter than the others.
The cause was a congenital condition called brachymetatarsia, in which one of the bones in the foot stops growing prematurely. To correct it, surgeons cut the bone and installed an external fixator that gradually pulled it apart to allow new bone tissue to grow.
The image is from a study published in 2024 in Orthopaedic Surgery, which analyzed 11 patients. On average, doctors managed to lengthen the bone by almost 2 centimeters, and bone healing was complete between three and four months later.
The woman’s identity was not disclosed, as this is a clinical record used for scientific purposes. According to the study, all patients were satisfied with the results, although some complications associated with the procedure were also recorded.