TIBIAS & FEMURS with Dr. Becker & Dr. Betz – FULL JOURNEY (8+5=13 CM)

Thanks for the reply bro 

So you're significantly less incapacitated after just two weeks (and only 4 days of clicking)? How so? Just less pain, steadier on your feet? Are you able to climb up stairs? (My apartment is on the second floor with no elevator  )

Is the PT for tibias generally easier than for femurs? How much stretching and exercise are you supposed to do each day? Do you do check-ins with the PT team via Zoom?

Btw how often do you have to send in X-rays? Did they give you an estimate for clicking time and consolidation time?

Quote from: chipsnsalsa on July 17, 2025, 05:55:15 PMThanks for the reply bro 

So you're significantly less incapacitated after just two weeks (and only 4 days of clicking)? How so? Just less pain, steadier on your feet? Are you able to climb up stairs? (My apartment is on the second floor with no elevator  )

You're welcome And yes, less pain and also steadier on my feet. I also climbed up (and down) stairs yesterday, with crutches obviously. You put one hand on the railing and you put the crutch from the hand that is holding onto the railing into the other hand (while still holding the other crutch to support your weight). Then you go step by step. First I put the crutch on the next step, then one of my feet follows. Ideally, you alternate feet, but you can also just use the one you are feeling safest/sturdiest with.

Quote from: chipsnsalsa on July 17, 2025, 05:55:15 PMIs the PT for tibias generally easier than for femurs? How much stretching and exercise are you supposed to do each day? Do you do check-ins with the PT team via Zoom?

Yes PT for tibias is a LOT easier because you only need to focus on 1-2 muscles. I'm supposed to do stretching 3x a day and yes, you will have check-ins via Zoom. I will also post my complete protocol (exercises, routines, etc.) in my online diary at some point.

You can sign up here to get a reminder when its ready:
https://ll-diary.notion.site/Welcome-to-my-LL-Patient-Diary-227d096a769b80bf9757e51c04b15e69

Quote from: chipsnsalsa on July 17, 2025, 05:55:15 PMBtw how often do you have to send in X-rays? Did they give you an estimate for clicking time and consolidation time?

Every 6-8 weeks. And yes clicking time is probably around 4 months for me (let's see if I can increase clicks/day at some point. then it might be less). This is also shown in their app.

How will you know whether you can increase clicks/day? Do you need to wait 6-8 weeks till you send the x-ray to Dr Becker? Btw how do you get the x-ray done? Does he give you some paperwork to take to your local hospital wherever it is which explains what you need and why? Or you just rock up and ask for a full leg x-ray?

Once you finish clicking, however long that is, has Becker given you an estimate for how long consolidation will take? How long till you can run, start doing low weight leg exercises at gym, etc? And after how long is the nail removed? 2 years?

Thanks again

Hi all,

Just wanted to leave this here: I answered a bunch of questions on Reddit, for anyone who is interested:

https://www.reddit.com/r/limblengthening/comments/1ltook7/leg_lengthening_surgery_tibia_femur_with_dr/

I left the Dorint hotel today and just arrived at home, will post an update here soon!

Quote from: chipsnsalsa on July 17, 2025, 09:32:29 PMHow will you know whether you can increase clicks/day? Do you need to wait 6-8 weeks till you send the x-ray to Dr Becker? Btw how do you get the x-ray done? Does he give you some paperwork to take to your local hospital wherever it is which explains what you need and why? Or you just rock up and ask for a full leg x-ray?

Once you finish clicking, however long that is, has Becker given you an estimate for how long consolidation will take? How long till you can run, start doing low weight leg exercises at gym, etc? And after how long is the nail removed? 2 years?

Thanks again

Yup, exactly. I need to wait for the x-ray. You get a note from Dr. Becker on which it says what kind of x-rays you need. You then just show it to the x-ray folks and they'll know what to do. These x-rays you need to pay extra, obviously.

Re: consolidation: I think for tibias it takes twice the amount of your lengthening duration, e.g. 8 months for a 4 months lengthening period. I will double-check with him again (bc by that math, if you'd do 16 clicks instead of 8 daily, I'd be finished in 2 months instead of 4, but I doubt consolidation would then only be 4 months – btw just for illustration, 16 clicks is way too much!). Nail is removed after ~2-3 years I believe. Everything takes roughly twice as long as with femurs, as a rule of thumb

Low-weight exercises/sportive activites: 8-12 weeks after you stop clicking

Since returning home, this is how my days look like. I wake up at 7, eat a few nuts to avoid taking meds on an empty stomach, then take my medication. After that, I usually nap again until around 8:30. Then it's supplements (vitamin D, omega-3, multivitamin, zinc), brushing teeth, a round of light stretching (1x per exercise, 1 min each), and blow-drying my legs to loosen up the muscles.

Current Daily Routine:

07:00 – Wake up, eat a few nuts, take morning meds

07:00–08:30 – Nap, brush teeth, take supplements, light stretching, blow-dry legs

08:30–09:00 – Clicking

09:00–10:00 – Breakfast

10:00–11:00 – Stretching (2x per exercise, 2 min each)

11:00–13:00 – Household tasks / work

12:00 – Take meds

13:00–14:00 – Lunch

14:00–15:00 – Stretching (2x per exercise, 2 min each)

15:00–19:00 – Household tasks / work

19:00–20:00 – Dinner, take meds

20:00–21:00 – Stretching (2x per exercise, 2 min each)

21:00–22:00 – Get bed ready

22:00 – Take meds

22:00–23:00 – Scar mobilization with Bepanthen, watch TV, sleep

Current Challenges:

Every task takes 5x longer than normal. Even moving a plate from the kitchen to the table requires scooting on a chair. Carrying my laptop means packing it in a backpack and dragging it from room to room.

Pain in my left foot makes walking uncomfortable—without it, things would be much easier. I still get drowsy during the day, definitely a side-effect from the meds. I’m convinced this will improve as I taper down. Getting in 1,000 steps a day is doable, but my legs swell and feel sore pretty fast (around pain level 3, but it makes things sluggish).

That said, I’m happy overall. Clicking is more than manageable (I have it way easier than my femurs peers), overall pain is low, sleep is good. The hardest part is how repetitive the days are and how little room there is for anything else right now. I’m looking forward to getting faster at the basics again—so there’s space for work, free time, maybe even workouts.

Next Goal:

I hope my post-op ails and the swelling will reduce more and more so that I can do the most basic things faster which frees up time to have a more “normal” life again. Making room for workouts, sauna or more time for watching TV, working, and meeting friends, once I’m more mobile.

Why is there pain in your left foot? Is it nerve pain? Or the weight from swelling

I'm currently trying to figure that out. It is not from swelling.

I think it is either:
- post surgery pain (although pain starts at the ankle, the screws are above that)
- pain from overstretching
- nerve or muscle pain (from too little stretching – I don't know if I'm doing too little or too much currently)

That's the only thing that's bothering me currently because it affects my ability to walk. Interestingly, it only starts to hurt after I've been walking for a while (i.e. it starts around early evening)

I had new x-rays done. Normally you do it every 6-8 weeks after the surgery, but Dr. Becker told me to do them now after I mentioned that I experienced some pain in my left leg (specifically, my ankle joint).

However, everything looks great on the x-rays and the pain had nothing to do with the bones. There is barely any callus growth visible, but that’s normal after 5 weeks, according to Dr. Becker.

My pain in my left ankle joint is also gone after I took Ibuprofen 600mg 2x per day for 9 days.

P.S. I have never seen tibias x-rays on the internet from the side before, so that’s pretty cool:

Photos: https://ll-diary.notion.site/Welcome-to-my-LL-Patient-Diary-227d096a769b80bf9757e51c04b15e69

1. Did anyone noticed that you did 8cm in your femurs last time? What did you tell them?

2. Do you have any current limitation from that surgery or you are now at the same level than pre surgery?