how soon walk normal after distraction?

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3 months post lengthening a valid timeline?

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Are we talking completely without support using externals? How much lengthening? If you only do 5 cm, then probably two months. If you do 7-8, then probably 3+ months for wobbly walking.

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Quote from: pharmacology on February 11, 2022, 03:59:47 AM3 months post lengthening a valid timeline?

Normally I'd say it depends on distraction length, nail or some other parameter but if you ask like this it doesn't even matter. The answer is - no way will you walk normally after 3 months post lengthening. At three months post lengthening you will most likely still have pains, your muscles will be stiff and very likely you will have considerable problems with your gait.

Even if you had a conventional fracture you wouldn't be able to walk normally 3 months post surgery.

If you're going to do this, be very realistic with your expectations, this isn't a nose job.

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Quote from: DonBones on February 11, 2022, 08:34:29 AMNormally I'd say it depends on distraction length, nail or some other parameter but if you ask like this it doesn't even matter. The answer is - no way will you walk normally after 3 months post lengthening. At three months post lengthening you will most likely still have pains, your muscles will be stiff and very likely you will have considerable problems with your gait.

Even if you had a conventional fracture you wouldn't be able to walk normally 3 months post surgery.

If you're going to do this, be very realistic with your expectations, this isn't a nose job.

You did 5 cm with a wb nail .
At 5 months post-OP (3 months post lengthening) you should be able to walk normally or be almost there based on most stryde patients who were 20-30 yo ,that did also more then 5 cm .

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Quote from: Masteryourlife on February 11, 2022, 09:04:43 AMYou did 5 cm with a wb nail .
At 5 months post-OP (3 months post lengthening) you should be able to walk normally or be almost there based on most stryde patients who were 20-30 yo ,that did also more then 5 cm .

It depends on what you consider normal. Sure, if someone poses for the camera, focuses hard, on an even surface and with a moderate lengthening amount then yes you can make it look decent. I can walk a short distance without you noticing that I had limb lengthening. I can even do a moonwalk, walk a few stairs, but all of this is a mere fraction of what I consider normal. Normal for me is to be able to walk just the way I did before surgery, on any surface, for the same duration.

I know you all want to be optimists and think this is done within months, but it's just not true. I am telling you this as someone who objectively speaking had very few issues.

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Quote from: DonBones on February 11, 2022, 11:39:59 AMIt depends on what you consider normal. Sure, if someone poses for the camera, focuses hard, on an even surface and with a moderate lengthening amount then yes you can make it look decent. I can walk a short distance without you noticing that I had limb lengthening. I can even do a moonwalk, walk a few stairs, but all of this is a mere fraction of what I consider normal. Normal for me is to be able to walk just the way I did before surgery, on any surface, for the same duration.

I know you all want to be optimists and think this is done within months, but it's just not true. I am telling you this as someone who objectively speaking had very few issues.

I don't want to be optimistic , i honestly want to know what to expect to not fall into a deep frustration if at let's say 5 months post op, with conservative lengthening, I still feel so weird .
How does it feel tho?
Is it like after n intense leg workout as a beginner ?
That kind of muscle pain or more like bone pain ?
I'm talking about the post distraction phase; I can't find any usefull feedback on this regard .
No one really talks deeply about how it feels post distractions with a wb nail .

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Quote from: Masteryourlife on February 11, 2022, 02:07:29 PMI don't want to be optimistic , i honestly want to know what to expect to not fall into a deep frustration if at let's say 5 months post op, with conservative lengthening, I still feel so weird .
How does it feel tho?
Is it like after n intense leg workout as a beginner ?
That kind of muscle pain or more like bone pain ?
I'm talking about the post distraction phase; I can't find any usefull feedback on this regard .
No one really talks deeply about how it feels post distractions with a wb nail .

I personally feel no pain in my left leg, but there is sometimes an ache in my right. It's not really like anything I've felt before because stretching your soft tissues by two inches isn't like anything I'd ever do to it under normal circumstances.

My muscles on both legs are still tense and even though I don't have wide legs I tend to have a shaky walk when I don't specifically focus on walking straight (e.g. during physio) because my glutes are still weaker than before surgery.

It takes time for the body to adapt. Two inches of extra muscle, tendons, blood vessels and bone takes a very long time to build. If you look up a conventional fracture, you will see that it will take about 6 weeks to heal (i.e. for remodelling to start). The gap that has to heal in that case is about 1mm if even that. After that you will usually need many more weeks of physio.

I would be utterly naive to believe that a gap of 5cm or more (i.e. 50 times the amount of a normal fracture or more) would heal in barely three to four times the amount of time, and you could then just walk away "normally". The truth is, leg lengthening takes years.

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Quote from: DonBones on February 11, 2022, 03:31:05 PMI personally feel no pain in my left leg, but there is sometimes an ache in my right. It's not really like anything I've felt before because stretching your soft tissues by two inches isn't like anything I'd ever do to it under normal circumstances.

My muscles on both legs are still tense and even though I don't have wide legs I tend to have a shaky walk when I don't specifically focus on walking straight (e.g. during physio) because my glutes are still weaker than before surgery.

It takes time for the body to adapt. Two inches of extra muscle, tendons, blood vessels and bone takes a very long time to build. If you look up a conventional fracture, you will see that it will take about 6 weeks to heal (i.e. for remodelling to start). The gap that has to heal in that case is about 1mm if even that. After that you will usually need many more weeks of physio.

I would be utterly naive to believe that a gap of 5cm or more (i.e. 50 times the amount of a normal fracture or more) would heal in barely three to four times the amount of time, and you could then just walk away "normally". The truth is, leg lengthening takes years.

How is your walking, running, etc. now?

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Old school says it's about the double of the time to lenghten to consolidate. For example, if you lenghten 1 mm a day constantly to achieve 5 cm (50 days) , you would take further 100 days to consolidate. But currently surgeons specially not using externals and depending on all the biological response, tend to lenghten often slower and be more cautious before allowing full weight bearing by bone alone.
THEN, you'll have to keep physiotherapy and "learn" to walk again (it seems that this part varies widely among different people).
One of the things I'm learning here and elsewhere is: ANTICIPATE FRUSTRATION and prepare for PHYSIOTHERAPY, PHYSIOTHERAPY, PHYSIOTHERAPY. No worrying all the time, no crying, no panic, ..."No time to die" (007) :-)

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Had surgery in January, finished lengthening in March and was totally fine by Summer. A pretty rowdy July 4th weekend comes to mind