@The View
I haven't used night splints as of yet but I have a pair coming to me now that I expect will aid in resolving the remaining ballerina foot I have.
Being highly critical of proportions I would always advocate lengthening any single segment 5cm instead of 10cm. A 5cm increase of length of either lower body segment is unlikely to create any noticeable disproportion between segments. Lengthening any single segment 10cm will unquestionably result in a segment with an unnaturally long final length and produce very obvious disproportion.
It's neither better nor worse to do more or less in regard to femur lengthening, it is solely dependent on an individual's pre-op proportions. I personally would recommend lengthening both segments equally to maintain one's natural proportions. However, from anecdotal evidence it does seem that femurs do heal faster than tibiae and may accommodate additional lengthening more readily.
@Sweden & Tall
Brief summary of my recovery thus far:
Frames were removed early August.
Returned home mid-September
Consulted with a local Orthopedic surgeon and began once a week PT early October.
Cleared to weight-bear and walk with crutches early November.
To clarify, I was confined to a wheelchair/office chair until early November, as in no weight bearing of any kind. This was per the orders of the Ortho whom is overseeing my recovery.
As of now I am able to walk unaided, roughly 2 months after being cleared to weight-bear after being non-weight-bearing since my initial surgery in mid-April. With tennis shoes on I can walk pretty much normally and with little to no discomfort. After some time my legs and ankles do become sore and stay that way for the better part of a day. I make every effort to walk barefoot or with shoes having a flat heel when I must wear them.
When I wake up or when I have been seated for while it is difficult to take the first few steps when I stand up to walk again. My calves become tight and my ankles ache due to the pressure imposed upon them until my calves loosen up after a few steps. I keep a cane handy to assist me in the morning and when standing after having been seated for a while.
The progress is slow but it is definitely present. I do not despair one bit about my stage of recovery at this point. After having been non-weight-bearing and developing equinus contracture for more than 6 months I am elated to even be able to walk pseudo-normally at this point. Equinus contracture is not a condition to take lightly nor one to expect to resolve quickly. My heels do seem to be able to touch the ground after walking for much of the day, although it would be a stretch to claim that I have any degree of positive dorsiflexion or that the pressure exerted through the ball of my foot is equal to that through my heel.
I am able to easily climb stairs without aid and can descend stairs through concerted effort while using the handrail. My left foot/ankle is still slightly rotated internally and is moderately painful when I first stand on it after sitting for a while or upon waking. Otherwise my left leg feels fine. My right calf feels to be slightly tighter than my right making it more difficult to get my right heel down and causing more pressure in my right ankle. Both callus sites are thick and strong, although they do become slightly sore after an active day.
I see my Ortho in a month, at which time we will talk about my left ankle further, discuss the necessity of a gastrocnemius recession surgery (calf release), and further discuss hardware removal when the time comes to do so.
