About those time calculation per cm...
Bodybuilder I actually relied on your opinion of 30-45 days per cm and I was shocked when my doc said 6 months for 3 cm...
I was actually so shocked that he started to doubt himself even...
But in actuality this is the surgeons experience.
I'm 7 months exactly after surgery and still not close to 100% full consolidation.
I was really down and worried for a long time with thoughts of delayed union, but after searching more I see that tibia can heal as much as 2 to 3 months per cm.
So when you're prepared for 4 months recovery, doing let's say 4cm and thinking it's a month /cm, when it's 2-2.5 months/cm, you suddenly get to 8 months. That's serious when you're preparing mentally for this journey.
I think it's important to know theres a range and variability with people's recovery and not to plan for specific outcome.
Dr. Alexander Kirienko (Milan, Italy) - Ilizarov Tibia
Quote from: limby101 on December 11, 2023, 08:56:55 PMAbout those time calculation per cm...
Bodybuilder I actually relied on your opinion of 30-45 days per cm and I was shocked when my doc said 6 months for 3 cm...
I was actually so shocked that he started to doubt himself even...
But in actuality this is the surgeons experience.
I'm 7 months exactly after surgery and still not close to 100% full consolidation.
I was really down and worried for a long time with thoughts of delayed union, but after searching more I see that tibia can heal as much as 2 to 3 months per cm.
So when you're prepared for 4 months recovery, doing let's say 4cm and thinking it's a month /cm, when it's 2-2.5 months/cm, you suddenly get to 8 months. That's serious when you're preparing mentally for this journey.
I think it's important to know theres a range and variability with people's recovery and not to plan for specific outcome.
What i hope is that consolidation phase will be easier even in frames. As of now I can’t walk more than 20 steps with the walker without feeling very tired.
As far as I know after finishing lengthening you will be in crutches and later on walk unassisted.
About walking.
I was also told prior to surgery that the ilizarov can weight bare so you can be weight bearing very early.
I was getting off the bed and walk with crutches since day1 after surgery, and then some former patient told me I'll be able to put all weight on the leg in 3 months. And I was like "3 months?!" Hell no I'm gonna do it in two weeks maximum. In reality putting all your weight on a fractured leg isn't that simple. And it actually took me about 3+ months to be able to walk with one crutch and maybe 4.5-5 months to walk unassisted, very slowly and carefully.
So to summarize, take your time, do whatever is tolerated with a tad tendency to push yourself a little further through the pain, but not much more than this.
Quote from: limby101 on December 11, 2023, 09:44:24 PMAbout walking.
I was also told prior to surgery that the ilizarov can weight bare so you can be weight bearing very early.
I was getting off the bed and walk with crutches since day1 after surgery, and then some former patient told me I'll be able to put all weight on the leg in 3 months. And I was like "3 months?!" Hell no I'm gonna do it in two weeks maximum. In reality putting all your weight on a fractured leg isn't that simple. And it actually took me about 3+ months to be able to walk with one crutch and maybe 4.5-5 months to walk unassisted, very slowly and carefully.
So to summarize, take your time, do whatever is tolerated with a tad tendency to push yourself a little further through the pain, but not much more than this.
My doctor advised me to stand and walk as much as I possible because it helps callus formation.
I’m a bit scared of losing height because someone in this forum said that at the end they were even 1,5 cm shorter than expected
Quote from: limby101 on December 11, 2023, 08:56:55 PMAbout those time calculation per cm...
Bodybuilder I actually relied on your opinion of 30-45 days per cm and I was shocked when my doc said 6 months for 3 cm...
I was actually so shocked that he started to doubt himself even...
But in actuality this is the surgeons experience.
I'm 7 months exactly after surgery and still not close to 100% full consolidation.
I was really down and worried for a long time with thoughts of delayed union, but after searching more I see that tibia can heal as much as 2 to 3 months per cm.
So when you're prepared for 4 months recovery, doing let's say 4cm and thinking it's a month /cm, when it's 2-2.5 months/cm, you suddenly get to 8 months. That's serious when you're preparing mentally for this journey.
I think it's important to know theres a range and variability with people's recovery and not to plan for specific outcome.
I needed less than 11 months for 7.5cm although I kept the frames one month more to not lose even 1mm. So for 7,5 cm I needed 11 months which means exactly days for each cm. And the more you lengthen you need a little.more time.for each cm. If I lengthened just 2cm I don't thunk I would have needed more than 80 days.
But I was young (23yo) and very healthy however I never used any vitamin d or calcium supplements and all these. Just normal food.
Anyway, about 45-50 days for each cm is the average. More than 60 days for a cm means a delayed consolidation but still you will be fine in the end, just be patient. But more than 60cm per cm is problematic. Somethimg is wrong if someome needs that much time.
Consolidation is much easier than lengthening as your leg gets to relax but pls don’t go further than 6cm. Some drs are patient pleasers and don’t stop them even when it’s necessary, it’s not about having been paid already. I’ve did 4.5 and am happy with it. The patients I know who did 6cm have a much longer & tougher recovery and are advised a calf release to relax the muscle. Think about your future & functionality. No point in being tall if u lose good function
Quote from: Ayesha12345 on December 11, 2023, 11:08:26 PMConsolidation is much easier than lengthening as your leg gets to relax but pls don’t go further than 6cm. Some drs are patient pleasers and don’t stop them even when it’s necessary, it’s not about having been paid already. I’ve did 4.5 and am happy with it. The patients I know who did 6cm have a much longer & tougher recovery and are advised a calf release to relax the muscle. Think about your future & functionality. No point in being tall if u lose good function
If my recovery will be longer I don’t care. I only care about permanent damages.
For now my doctor says I’m doing well. I have a knee contracture but it’s not clinically severe and it should go away with physiotherapy.
Next time i see my doctor I will be around 6,5 cm. He said I can go to 7 depending how well he will find me next time.
I know it could be risky, but I trust my doctor can predict/fix complications and also everything beyond 5cm if risky. I need to take some risks and also trust my doctor. If he says I can go to 7 than he should be right. If I do less because someone in a forum told me it’s risky than I could have regrets later on.
Also what if 6 cm in realy is 1cm less, about 5cm like some people reported? Like sweden or lumiere. I would be 167 with only real 5cms. With 7cms I’m sure I will be at least 168 like my father, my target height.
Remember that I have a very bad starting height, below the 3° percentile.
Need to trusts the expers and take some risks.
edit: in theory my doctors let patients lengthen tibias up to 8cms. But in my case I was advised against. Always suggested 6-7. I don’t think he’s a pleaser
regarding femurs
more than a couple people asked in my pms if Kirienko also does femurs.
I know for sure he can lengthen femurs, but I don’t know if he does it for cosmetic reasons.
There are some treatments example on this website. One about a girl with a discrepancy in the femurs that got lengthened with precice nail and another with the ilizarov apparatus mounted to the femur.
Regarding cosmetic lengthenings there are 3-4 examples of patients all lengthened with ilizarov on tibia by 5-8 cms.
So if you’re interested in femurs I think you should ask him directly by mail. Also ask him which method he uses for cosmetic femurs because I feel that 2 ilizarov frames on femurs could be very hard to manage for the patient.
I'm starting to walk tip toes. Almost 6cm.
Pain during physiotherapy is really bad.
What pain are you having?
Is it muscle pain?
If it's muscle pain of the sort of tightness like a sore muscle after workout, when stretched, than it most probably temporary.
It's a bummer to be worried of every pain that it might be a complication and permanent, but 99 of the cases is a temporary pain which will subside once you stop lengthening...
Maybe slow down the lengthening phase or take some days off..
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