Pain in knees and hips

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So aside from some minor aches my recovery until recently was going quite well. I had been doing more squats at physio in an attempt to build strength but I seem to have injured myself in the process. My knees and hips are in a lot of pain when walking on crutches which is really stressing me out as I feel I've gone backwards by about 2 months in terms of mobility. I spoke with my doctor who advised to avoid squats as it puts too much pressure on my joints although he's not sure how long it will take to recover. Has anyone else experienced this? Its really got me down at the moment.

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Hi Nestor,

As you know I haven't done my surgery yet but the different patients I talked with told me that the weeks after lengthening, they had experienced pains after doing some exercices like squat or carrying pack of water. This pain prevented them to walk the days after.
So i guess this kind of pain is normal.

But in your case, is it for a longer period ? Does your doc told you it was linked to musclar weakness ? In this case, my guess is that a more soft rehabilitation should be done with swimming or biking.
Or do you know if it may come from  an other reason than muscular weakness ? Maybe your body just need a bit more time to adapt to the new pressure.
If it linked to the nail or screws, it could be  a bit more problematic but I don t know how it could be identified.

In any case, I am sure with the good amount of stretching and strenghtening, everything will be soon better !

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Well, I’m 4 1/2 months after lengthening and I still have hip and knee pain that prevents me from walking normally, especially after stretching hard. I think hip and knee pain is par for the course with limb lengthening.

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Hi Inchesmatter,

Thanks a lot for still sharing your experience!
May I ask you your age or if there is any other factors which may explain this relatively low recovery ?
Are you still doing PT ?

Otherwise if you are still in contact with other patients, do you know how was their recovery compare to yours ?

I think it could be helpful for future patient like me to know if this kind of pain thats prevents from walking normally months after lengthening is common.

Thanks and I wish you the best!

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I have to admit I’ve been fairly lazy about stretching and walking. I’m in contact with other limb lengthening patients and veterans, and I can tell you that recovery timelines and even whether one recovers completely is all over the map. I’ve heard of people who don’t walk normally even after two years (in their twenties, I believe) and people who walk normally much earlier. This procedure takes a very long time and improvement is slow, not just for me but for most. I was seeing a physical therapist late last year but it’s been a couple of months, and I probably could benefit from going back.

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Ironically if I hadn't been doing as much physio I wouldn't be in this position with my knees and hip pain. I overdid trying to get strong too quickly, so important to take things slowly and listen to your body, although it's very difficult sometimes to tell if it's good pain from exercise or bad from injury until it's too late.

It's essential though to try and do stretching etc everyday if you can otherwise your body will seize up. My doc has advised me to exercises that just target the muscles and don't put any stress on the joints. Really hope my knees and hips improve soon as even certain stretches are painful right now.

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I see...
It makes sens that the joint needs more time to adapt!
Yes follow the exercice from the doc and also some workout like biking or swimming as it put less pressure !
Did you try also the electro stimulation to help to recover the muscle ?
I had some injury in my ankle so I could not move it for a while and the PT used this electro stimulation to prevent loss muscle so it could be an idea ; you can find a good one system for cheap !
Also for the knee joint, i don t know if it could help but there is different knee brace you can buy to support the knee and joint : it could be an option for you in order to be more mobile.
Let us know how it goes

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Thanks for the suggestions 5cm, I might look online to see if there are any cheap electro devices although as far as I know from talking to my physio I think they are mainly for muscles, maybe it might help with the muscles around my hip area.

I really hope this isn't a serious injury and goes away in a few weeks. I feel a bit depressed at the moment as it's like I've gone way back instead of forward with my progress.

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I was a pro natural bodybuilder who got hit hard mentally when I found out that I would be out for about half a year while LL procedure took place. Yeah so working out the legs will take time. I did extra therapy at home after my actual PT to recover flexibility faster. Wasn't easy but definitely improved ROM and muscle strength faster than if I "waited it out". Do you currently do any cardio on like say a stationary bike to improve blood flow and muscle tone?

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Hey Cyborg. I do use a stationary bike but I find a slight niggle on my knees as I cycle so I'm afraid to push too hard in case it makes things worse. From what I've read I think it's patellar tendonitis, it's really set my progress back. Im currently doing isometric exercises but they're pretty limited in terms of building strength. It's been almost 5 months since surgery, was hoping I'd be walking by now but guess this is how these things go sometimes. My left knee has improved slightly but my right is still no different.