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[6CMFemurs]

Almost 7 years ago, I had Femur lengthening with the original Precice 2.0. I lengthened around 6 CM, before I had to stop because the bone was not cut high enough to allow more lengthening. I moved on with my life leaving the devices in place. Yesterday I had surgery to remove the distal screws and began retracting the nails inside my legs with the new ERC device. I hear and feel the nails moving inside my bones (actually sounds and feels like a hurricane with the new ERC retracting at 1 MM per 3 minute session). In a couple weeks I will be getting to confirm whether the nails still work. If they work (fingers crossed), I will do new osteotomy and start re lengthening. Not looking for anything crazy, maybe 3.5ish additional CM on top of the almost 6 I gained the first time.

Legs are feeling super sore after screw removal, going to take it way easier and use crutches the next week. We are retracting about 4 MM per day.

[Tartar]

Why have you removed screws only instead of all the nail?
It sounds kinda crazy a new osteotomy, in addition with a precice 2, 6cm is the best balance between proportion and height gain. Think about it.

[6CMFemurs]

Removed screws, so I can retract nail without removing it or breaking bone.

[SartBimpson]

have you experienced any complications in your initial lengthening of 6cm?

[6CMFemurs]

@Sartbimpson I had zero complications the first time. I stopped because at my consult I said I only wanted 5 CM (no one had ever done ever 8 before, since I was in the first batch of Precice 2 to be used). Once I saw how easy and painless it was, I wanted to keep lengthening, but unfortunately they used to cut the bone differently based on your goal height, so the fat part of the nail would have fell out of the bone canal if I didn't stop lengthening at around 6.

[SartBimpson]

@Sartbimpson I had zero complications the first time. I stopped because at my consult I said I only wanted 5 CM (no one had ever done ever 8 before, since I was in the first batch of Precice 2 to be used). Once I saw how easy and painless it was, I wanted to keep lengthening, but unfortunately they used to cut the bone differently based on your goal height, so the fat part of the nail would have fell out of the bone canal if I didn't stop lengthening at around 6.

Ohhh I see! That sounds awesome then! May I ask how tall are you now?

[6CMFemurs]

I am in the 173/174 range, a little over 5"8, not quite 5"9

[6CMFemurs]

No dice. According to X-ray, it seems like nails aren't retracting

[m7liam]

Why don’t you just take it out and then manually unlengthen it

[6CMFemurs]

@m7liam: I was worried about the trauma of taking it out, and then shoving it back in. Plus I thought the nail would possibly be damaged in the process.

[Michael J. Assayag, MD]

3 things may be happening: either the skin mark is not in the right place and the ERC is not communicating with the nail, The soft tissue envelope may be too thick (press down on the skin to decrease the gap) or finally the nails may not be working after 7 years.

ALl the sleepers nails that were tested were removed within 2 years . about 10 % did not work.

[6CMFemurs]

@Michael J. Assayag, MD: Interestingly enough I am using new ERC, so I am just going by green check mark on device screen. I have no "X" marked on my leg.

Besides the most obvious explanation of nails not working, do you think that nails could somehow be impeded by bone growth? During the retraction sessions I feel a soreness each time I lengthen. Not sure if this is from out of control torque of broken lengthening mechanism or if there is some impediment?