Have questions you'd like to ask someone who had LL six years ago? Ask them here

Edit Post

I was a tibia-lengthening patient at the Beijing Institute of External Fixation for five months in 2007.  I went back and had my internal nails removed in late 2008.  I'm done with LL but wanted to come back and share my knowledge with current and future LLers.

I'm currently working on a diary about my LL experience called "Fear and Lengthening in Beijing" that you can find in the Diaries section.  But if you have any questions, go ahead and ask them here.  Unlike the people on that old forum, I'm happy to answer anything here even if it's been mentioned in my diary, just in case you don't feel like reading the whole thing.

More about me:
Race/sex: White, Male
My age when I had LL: 25
Starting height and weight: 5'7" 138 lbs.
Current height and weight: 5"10" 138 lbs.

Cancel Save Changes

Edit Post

How long did it take until you could run, not walk, down stairs?

Can you sprint?(like Usain Bolt on 100 meters, but not equal fast...)

Do you feel any strain or tightness in any part of your body?

Would you dare to jump down from 1-2 meters up?

Cancel Save Changes

Edit Post

Question I have is, you are 3 inches taller but weigh the same? I would imagine you would weigh a little more right?

Cancel Save Changes

Edit Post

1. What is your wingspan?
2. What do you think of your proportions?  Have your thoughts changed over time?
3. Any regrets?

Very nice of you to be available to us.  Thank you.

Cancel Save Changes

How long did it take until you could run, not walk, down stairs?

Can you sprint?(like Usain Bolt on 100 meters, but not equal fast...)

Do you feel any strain or tightness in any part of your body?

Would you dare to jump down from 1-2 meters up?

I could run down stairs and sprint as soon as I'd healed up from the IM nail removal surgery.  I was really careful with my legs while the nails were in, so I never tried doing either of those things until they were removed.  I used a leg press machine at a gym and ran short distances but that was the most I did while I had the IM nails.  I think most IM nail issues are caused by slow bone consolidation and/or too much physical activity.

When I squat, I feel some pressure in my knees.  The knees are also sensitive when I kneel on hard surfaces.  They're also a little stiff but they do have a full range of motion; if they were made of metal I'd think they were a tiny bit rusty.  This stiffness goes away if I do kickboxing exercises but comes back in a few hours.  I think all of these knee issues could've been avoided by doing external-only.  Cutting open the knees twice, once to put the IM nails in and then again to pull them back out was a lot of knee surgery.  I'm fine with my 5'10 height, but if I wasn't I still might not do femurs due to fear of developing hip issues similar to what's happening in my knees.

I don't have any ankle or foot issues.  My hamstring flexibility is as good as it was before LL, but my quadriceps flexibility is a little bit worse (just a tiny bit) but I have no idea why.

I would jump down from one meter, sure.  I've done that quite a few times.  I'd jump down two meters if I had to and I doubt my legs would break like Sid Eudy's (Google "Sid Vicious WCW leg break" if you're not squeamish).  I'd be mostly worried about what would happen to my knees from that two meter drop.  The tibiae themselves are really solid.

Quote from: TomD on October 17, 2013, 01:13:01 AM