Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[SirStretchAlot]

Limbfan2020
Trochanter. I can't imagine any extendable nails being inserted through the knee. There would be little room to grind through the bone marrow necessary for insertion.
I heard from a fellow patient who had his nail removed, that Dr Betz is much less energetic now after his back surgery, almost a different person. He still seems lively to me, but forgetting to screw in a nail, is still quite a large oversight.

DonBones
My London orthopedic doctor and physio just confirmed severe Trendelenburg. My hip line is tilted up towards the left because my right hip is extremely weak. They could not ascertain whether it was nerve damage, but hypothesized my right leg likely suffered more trauma (tissue damage/bleeding) during the surgery compared to my left. The injuries and pain are likely blocking the nerve signals from reaching the hip muscle. Regardless, intense physiotherapy is the only way to recover any functionality.

Day21
Clicking is still extremely painful on my right leg. The twisting is also causing chronic knee pain. At this point, I am just taking Ibuprofen and toughing through the pain. I read another diary where the pain suddenly improved after 1.8cm. I'm near there now, so I hope it happens to me soon too. Please if you're using Dr Betz, reconsider Betzbone. There are patients who have more painful clicking than I do.

Wide legs are also very apparent now, and becoming difficult to surpress. Standing with my legs together is stressful on my it band (hip to knee). For most people, it comes after 2.5-3cm. It came much earlier for me even though I am quite active (stretching+gym+>30min of walking per day). The good news is that I have yet to see any signs of duckass.

I may not be the most successful of patients, but all that means is if I can do it, you guys can definitely excel.

[RB]

For the wide legs, I also developed them quite early on, just before 2cm. My legs were quite wide even while walking with crutches and I was told that it won't resolve until after clicking stops, however once I got out of quarantine in my home country and started walking a lot more, my wide legs have closed in significantly while walking with crutches, the point where they don't really look that wide anymore. They are still wide when walking unassisted unfortunately but I assume that's because I don't walk as much unassisted as I do with the crutches.

So my advice would be to walk as much as you can tolerate on the crutches each day and your wide legs should hopefully improve. Duck ass for me came after 3cm 

Good luck man!

[Bagga]

Did you contact Dr. Bentz on all the surgery issues?
Did he willing to resolve the issues with you?
It was really disturbing to hear ths mistakes he made.
....may be he is too old for the job.

[PerfectBody]

Hey man, I’m doing LON and I’m clicking as well. Holy   it hurt dramatically the first day. Now the pain has subsided a very, very little bit. Whenever they rod shifts in my bone it’s super dramatic but not altogether painful lost of the times.

I heard it gets easier after another cm or so of lengthening. Then nerve pain kicks in 🤪

[SirStretchAlot]

RB
It's nice to know that I'm not the only one with early onset wide legs, haha. Yeah, I used to walk at least 20min daily pre-surgery, which at my post-surgery speed is equivalent to 40min of walking. I'll try to get to 60min!
Dang, I thought maybe duckass wouldn't come for me.

leoth2
Yeah, I've emailed Yvonne and I should be getting a response back from Dr Betz soon. I think screws-related complications (loosening or breaking) is fairly common. They are more fragile than the nail.

PerfectBody
Oh wow, I can't describe how much I sympathize with fellow patients who suffer from clicking pain. Dr Betz and Daniela are nonchalant about clicking pains. I brought it up with them several times and they offered no solution. I even recall them re-assuring me pre-op that clicking should be painless or minimally painful. This is one part of the entire process which I felt lied to.

Day 23
I managed to do all the clicking in 1 hour today. The key is to fill the tub with very hot -- almost boiling water, and sink your entire leg into it. The first 5 clicks were almost painless. The next 5 were slightly painful. The next 5 were painful. The last 5 was as painful as if I were dry. This happens as the water in the tub cools. Make sure to also time your clicking within 1-2 hours of taking your pain meds. They are most effective then.

[DonBones]

RB
It's nice to know that I'm not the only one with early onset wide legs, haha. Yeah, I used to walk at least 20min daily pre-surgery, which at my post-surgery speed is equivalent to 40min of walking. I'll try to get to 60min!
Dang, I thought maybe duckass wouldn't come for me.

leoth2
Yeah, I've emailed Yvonne and I should be getting a response back from Dr Betz soon. I think screws-related complications (loosening or breaking) is fairly common. They are more fragile than the nail.

PerfectBody
Oh wow, I can't describe how much I sympathize with fellow patients who suffer from clicking pain. Dr Betz and Daniela are nonchalant about clicking pains. I brought it up with them several times and they offered no solution. I even recall them re-assuring me pre-op that clicking should be painless or minimally painful. This is one part of the entire process which I felt lied to.

Day 23
I managed to do all the clicking in 1 hour today. The key is to fill the tub with very hot -- almost boiling water, and sink your entire leg into it. The first 5 clicks were almost painless. The next 5 were slightly painful. The next 5 were painful. The last 5 was as painful as if I were dry. This happens as the water in the tub cools. Make sure to also time your clicking within 1-2 hours of taking your pain meds. They are most effective then.

Seriously?

They told me during the initial phone call and the consultation that clicking may be extremely painful or not painful at all, with most people being somewhere in between. Should the pain become too much to bear, they would use local anaesthesia, they said.

Usually when I was distraught for one reason or another and argued with doctors, in the end I had a few regrets, too. If you want my advice, try and maintain a good accord with Yvonne and Betz. At the very least you want them to feel like they want to help you.

In any case, I think I can see between the lines that you are making progress, which is great. The best of luck for the next few days.

[sportiveshort]

"Usually when I was distraught for one reason or another and argued with doctors, in the end I had a few regrets, too. If you want my advice, try and maintain a good accord with Yvonne and Betz. At the very least you want them to feel like they want to help you."
Great advice, should be applied everywhere.

On another note, What made you choose Betz if I might ask? I am considering options and I think I will go with him (initial plan was stryde).
No need to answer if you don't feel comfortable by the way.

[PerfectBody]

Clicking update: there's not a ton of pain now, it just bothers the   out of me. it's a super dramatic+uncomfortable sensation that shoots through your bones.

[SirStretchAlot]

DonBones
I definitely agree. I maintain a great rapport with them, but I can only give my honest opinions here. They never mentioned that clicking could be extremely painful. The advertisement said clicking was "painless." Guess they chose a good candidate.

sportiveshort
Chose Betz because Stryde was recalled (90% of the reason). The other 10% is Betzbone's ability to lengthen >8cm. I really have no problems with Dr Betz. Betzbone and its broken screws is what's causing complications for everyone. It's one thing to be a fantastic surgeon. It's another to be a mechanical engineer. There's a good reason why not a single doctor besides Betz have adopted BetzBone.

PerfectBody
Oh fantastic. After how many cm did the pain drop off for you?

Day 24
A major event happened yesterday. After walking for 3 hours (3x my normal distance), I felt exhilarating. All the usual tiny pains in my legs were gone and I felt great. However, the moment I got seated, I had one of the most painful experiences of my life. A solid lump formed on my lower, outer left thigh, a muscle knot. These tend to form after overusing a muscle group. The pain lasted for 4 hours, and I used every pain mitigation trick I had. I considered calling an ambulence. Luckily, the moment I sprayed a hot sprinkler directly against the lump, the pain thawed after 10 minutes.

Muscle knots form when there's insufficient oxygen and blood going through an area. This happens after muscles become super tensed to protect itself from further damage. It can happen for any number of reason. For me, it was overuse. I walked with only my left crutch supporting my right leg. My left leg was likely extremely fatigued. If my experience can help anyone, it's
1) Don't over-stress your body even if it's good to. This applies for walking >2 hours or clicking too much.
2) Use crutches! We don't want others to see us crippled, but crutches really reduce concentrated stress on certain muscle groups and reduce the likihood of the screws breaking.
3) Whenever you have pain, put something hot or spray hot water directly onto the surface. It has yet to fail for any lengthening-related pain for me.

[PerfectBody]

Just two-three days bro. I hate to say this but we just gotta plow through it. As of right now my left leg sometimes is dramatic but the pain is mostly not there! I definitely feel the tremors, but very little pain (most of the time).

My right leg started clicking yesterday. Holy sh*t just when I thought I got through it, it comes back -_- This is the second day after it started, it hurts a lot, but still less than the day before. Hoping it subsides tomorrow or saturday.

[DonBones]

Just two-three days bro. I hate to say this but we just gotta plow through it. As of right now my left leg sometimes is dramatic but the pain is mostly not there! I definitely feel the tremors, but very little pain (most of the time).

My right leg started clicking yesterday. Holy sh*t just when I thought I got through it, it comes back -_- This is the second day after it started, it hurts a lot, but still less than the day before. Hoping it subsides tomorrow or saturday.

May I ask which "clicking" you refer to? Your signature suggest you are with Baldu, which means it may not be the Betzbone clicking.

[SirStretchAlot]

PerfectBody
You got this! Wrap your knees with a heatpad when clicking. The pain comes from stiff muscles/tendons and warmth relaxes them a lot.

DonBones
The 20 degree clicking is fairly common for the mechanical elongation nails. It would make their clicking mechanism similar to Betzbone.

Day 25
The muscle knot recovered, and the lump has grown smaller. Ultrasound noted a collection near the screws, but nothing that warrants immediate attention. Crutches is key to alleviating acute stress on a specific muscle group.

The clicking has become routine. The pain is very similar, which makes it somewhat more bearable (no pain spikes). Keeping it hot can sometimes reduce the pain substaintially, which I will update this diary further with.

On the bright side, I have just asked another orthopedic doctor to look at my post-op x-rays. He said the visual misalignment is nothing to worry about. My bones will union just fine. I feel much more assured now that I got a 2nd opinion.

The doctor also said to keep optimistic, as one's mental state can influence nerve-related discomfort and pain. Clicking in the morning is also important as general movement at work will mask a lot of the minor nerve/muscle discomfort too.

[SirStretchAlot]

Day 27

Including the 5mm initial gap from the surgery, I should have lengthened 20.76mm. However, a height measurement (always around the same time at night) only showed a 15.7mm increase. I made sure to force my legs together and stood up straight despite the wide-legs during the measurement. My reading around the forum suggests that a 1cm increase in femur length leads to less than 1cm in height increase because the femur is curved. Tibia lengthening on the other hand, is 1 to 1. Out of the 5mm difference, I would probably attribute 2mm to the curviture, 2mm to distorted stance, and 1mm to height variation (spine compression).

What do you guys think explains the significant difference between clicked-height and measured-height? Do we gain more height as our posture/stance recovers after consolidation? Would love your insight!


On the bright side, clicking pain has dropped after 2.2cm. I can now manage the pain without painkillers or hot water. Regardless, I might reduce my clicks to 15 because I become extremely tight and immobile the day after 20 clicks. it's amazing how Dr Betz can recommend 20 clicks everyday until 3cm. Some people must be stretching like gods.

[DonBones]

Day 27

Including the 5mm initial gap from the surgery, I should have lengthened 20.76mm. However, a height measurement (always around the same time at night) only showed a 15.7mm increase. I made sure to force my legs together and stood up straight despite the wide-legs during the measurement. My reading around the forum suggests that a 1cm increase in femur length leads to less than 1cm in height increase because the femur is curved. Tibia lengthening on the other hand, is 1 to 1. Out of the 5mm difference, I would probably attribute 2mm to the curviture, 2mm to distorted stance, and 1mm to height variation (spine compression).

What do you guys think explains the significant difference between clicked-height and measured-height? Do we gain more height as our posture/stance recovers after consolidation? Would love your insight!


On the bright side, clicking pain has dropped after 2.2cm. I can now manage the pain without painkillers or hot water. Regardless, I might reduce my clicks to 15 because I become extremely tight and immobile the day after 20 clicks. it's amazing how Dr Betz can recommend 20 clicks everyday until 3cm. Some people must be stretching like gods.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[DonBones]

Day 27

Including the 5mm initial gap from the surgery, I should have lengthened 20.76mm. However, a height measurement (always around the same time at night) only showed a 15.7mm increase. I made sure to force my legs together and stood up straight despite the wide-legs during the measurement. My reading around the forum suggests that a 1cm increase in femur length leads to less than 1cm in height increase because the femur is curved. Tibia lengthening on the other hand, is 1 to 1. Out of the 5mm difference, I would probably attribute 2mm to the curviture, 2mm to distorted stance, and 1mm to height variation (spine compression).

What do you guys think explains the significant difference between clicked-height and measured-height? Do we gain more height as our posture/stance recovers after consolidation? Would love your insight!


On the bright side, clicking pain has dropped after 2.2cm. I can now manage the pain without painkillers or hot water. Regardless, I might reduce my clicks to 15 because I become extremely tight and immobile the day after 20 clicks. it's amazing how Dr Betz can recommend 20 clicks everyday until 3cm. Some people must be stretching like gods.

A lot depends on your body.

It may be curvature as you say, in case you have very curved femurs.

Another possible reason is that femurs are oblique. Example: https://i.imgur.com/bjyQJ6V.jpg. If you have X-Rays of our femurs from which you can infer the needed angle, you can use the pythagorean theorem to figure out how much that explains the disparity in length. It's unlikely to be the full 5mm difference, but could be responsible for perhaps 1.5-2mm.

Yet another reason may be the stance as you say or even simple measurement errors.

[V21]

Day 27

Including the 5mm initial gap from the surgery, I should have lengthened 20.76mm. However, a height measurement (always around the same time at night) only showed a 15.7mm increase. I made sure to force my legs together and stood up straight despite the wide-legs during the measurement. My reading around the forum suggests that a 1cm increase in femur length leads to less than 1cm in height increase because the femur is curved. Tibia lengthening on the other hand, is 1 to 1. Out of the 5mm difference, I would probably attribute 2mm to the curviture, 2mm to distorted stance, and 1mm to height variation (spine compression).

What do you guys think explains the significant difference between clicked-height and measured-height? Do we gain more height as our posture/stance recovers after consolidation? Would love your insight!


On the bright side, clicking pain has dropped after 2.2cm. I can now manage the pain without painkillers or hot water. Regardless, I might reduce my clicks to 15 because I become extremely tight and immobile the day after 20 clicks. it's amazing how Dr Betz can recommend 20 clicks everyday until 3cm. Some people must be stretching like gods.

You can't stand 100% after lenghtening, and you lose mm due to things like duck ass or wide legs. An user I taltk to via whatsapp told me that, after doing 8 cm, he had gained only 6.8 when finished lengthening. Two weeks after, after recovering posture and all, he has gotten 7.6, so he has  only lost like 4 mm due to femur shape

[Abbot]

I realise it's expensive, but I'd have hoped for that money it would be at least modern, offering good food and maybe some recreational facilities. Now I know why RB didn't like it

Based on other physicians that offer cheaper prices in Europe you might find in this situation  that you get what you pay for.  I can name one European LL specialist not to go to.  It could cost more in terms of treatment, outcome and emotional stress.  Betz sounds like a very good choice and wished I had tried him.  I got lucky with the guy I chose but learned a valuable lesson.  Read all the comments  and remember this, few people have the impetus or desired to report negative reports.  Consider the motivation of the comments or at least how they appear.  I believe some unscrupulous docs maintain bogus bloggers to maintain "their good reputations" based on my experience.....I may report in detail at some point in the future.

[Abbot]

You will need a lot of calories to support building new bone and soft tissue. When I underwent the surgery, I lost a lot of weight despite being at the KomfortKlinik where they fed me great food snd dessert every day. I hope you are getting lots of nutrition. I only stopped losing weight months later, after clicking stopped. It's very important.

So do you have any caloric recommendations and supplements, ie, Calcium, protein ?

[SirStretchAlot]

Abbot
I noticed that I didn't gain any fat despite eating double my BMR per day (3.4k cal vs 1.7k cal). In my case, I do think I'm expending at least 1.5k more calories in my recovery. I've always eaten a high protein diet since I gymed. Calcium and vitamin supplements will be part of your post-op prescription.

V21 & DonBones
I think he's very lucky to have only lost 4mm after lengthening 8cm. Elsewhere I've read that people generally lose 1mm for every 1cm lengthened. If someone were to lengthen 10cm, he would only gain 9cm in height. In my case, I lost 5mm after only lengthening 2.2cm, which is quite disturbing.

Day 28
Today is the last day of my sickleave. I will probably have less time to write diaries in the future, but I think today is a pretty good transition point.

1) I've lengthened 23.62mm by clicks and initial gap. However, my measured increase has only been 17mm. This >5mm gap is quite consistent and concerning. I believe a screw might be bent somewhere and is reducing my height. This was what frequently happened to others who magically lost height during lengthening.

2) This is why I've since been using both crutches when I'm outside. I'd rather not take my chances with Betzbone not deforming over the lengthening period. Heck, I've seen x-rays of Stryde nails bending. I think walking without crutches is definitely an advertising stunt for all "full weight-bearing" nails. You should always walk long distances with crutches simply so you don't have to replace your nail in another surgery.

3) The clicking on my left leg has been trivial. Almost no pain and I can do all 20 clicks in 10 minutes. The right leg still has pain, but technique improvements has allowed me to reduce it to a brief second. I did it in a little over an hour. 1.5 hours in total today, which has been a record. I believe at this rate, I can get it down to 30 minutes in a month, which would be manageable with work.

4) I will be finally getting my first post-home-lengthening x-rays next week. I really hope there's callus and no nail/screws are deformed, especially since Germany has put more quarantine restrictions on travelling. Will be the biggest update since op. Stay tuned

[SirStretchAlot]

Day 31

A few small developments over the past few days.

1) Sleeping with Tizanidin (muscle relaxer), and Novaminsulfron (painkiller), gave me an 8-hour sleep. I did not take increased dose, but just elongated each pill-period to 8 hours instead of 6. I woke up briefly in the night, but was able to go back to sleep easily. It was simply the best sleep I got since the start of lengthening.

2) I've weaned myself completely off Tramadol. I found it to not provide any additional pain relief. Since it was an opoid, I was slightly depressed for 2 days.

3) Clicking with Ibuprofen (another painkiller) can be done with minimal pain. This is the best tip I can give for those who face pain clicking.

4) It is actually quite good to do this procedure over the summer, because we are more active and the muscles will be warmer. (lucky us)

5) I found being active (walking a lot) to be the single biggest contributor to the recovery. Walking while forcing each step to close your legs really helps. In terms of sleep, pain, and mood, I'm at my best following days of abundant walking. It is extremely exhausting, but I found it much more effective than stationary stretching.

[SirStretchAlot]

28.97mm
Thought it'd probably be better to denote the lengthening progress through length rather than date.

1) Slept on a latex foam topper last night. I was skeptical at first after reading about it on the forums, but it did indeed improve my sleep. I got a full 6 hours last night, and woke up with fewer sores.

2) Stopped taking Ibuprofen for clicking too, as the clicking pain has improved yet again. So the only painkiller I'm on is Novalgin. It doesn't do much, but it's supposed to relax muscles.

3) I've gone back to work part-time (4 hours a day). I intended to work full-time, but between sleep, stretch, and physio, conforming to a standard work schedule is extremely difficult.

4) No sign of duckass yet

5) My wide legs are hideous despite my best stretching efforts. Does anyone happen to have any tips to tackle this?

Thanks!

[SirStretchAlot]

31mm

1) Had a pretty bad day yesterday where my wide legs almost immobilized me. Extensive stretching and Tizanidin returned me to the day before. It is truly a losing battle, and I had to stretch whenever I had the chance to stand still (waiting for bus, in elevator, etc...).

2) I think Dr Betz should've done an IT ban release, which would have given me 2cm~ of lengthening before wide legs set in. Knowing Betz, he probably won't do one. So if you're looking to lengthen > 7-8cm, consider another doctor who does IT band releases unless you are already very flexible.

3) I have also stopped taking Novalgin (Novaminsulfon), as it was almost useless. The 2 drugs that will relieve you of pain is 1) Tizanidin (muscle relaxer) and Ibuprofen (general NSAID painkiller, though not good for bone reneneration). Tramadol was also useless as mentioned previously. I've done a grid-search of every drug combination thrice, to arrive at these conclusions.

4) Physio will have a lot of massages and specific gait training. While useful, it is ultimately up to you to stretch whenever, wherever.

5) Sleep without Tizanidin (2-3 hours). With Tizanidin (4-6 hours).

[chasing_higher_dream]

Congrats on crossing the 3 cm mark, it's definitely a milestone!

Btw, I have too stopped taking Ibuprofen since now I am 10+ days post-surgery.
Right now, there are only 2 pain killers prescribed: Tramadol and Novalgin. I have been taking these and the pain has been relatively low.

I know the hardships you are going through right now, but just think about the end goal and keep moving forward!

I wish you good luck.

[SirStretchAlot]

Left: 41.14mm | Right: 37.24mm

Hey guys

1) I got my first 6-week post-op x-ray. The nails/screws are perfectly in place. Callus is growing strong. Walking with crutches really reduces the burden on the implants.

2) Clicking pain has been minor. However, my right leg still takes significantly more strength and time to click. I would say on average, 0.78mm each leg would take an hour in total.

3) Good news aside, my first worry is the angling of the femur head and shaft (in red lines) it is not straight compared to my left femur. This is due to the wide marrow on my right leg and has been like this since after the operation. Betz said it won't be a problem, but I am still concerned.

4) The 2nd worry (also visible in the x-ray) is that my wide-legs is beginning to immobolize me. I am essentially swinging side to side instead of walking forward. I am also stretching as much as humanly possible, to the extend that my hip and knees are starting to hurt. At this rate I probably won't be able to walk by 5cm. I am seriously considering an ITB release, which I think any good surgeon should have recommended for a patient with tight ITB in the beginning...

[chasing_higher_dream]

Hello SirStretchALot.

Congrats on reaching the 4 cm mark. That’s almost 50% of the lengthening done!

Your callus growth looks fantastic. Regarding the alignment of bone, I have seen a couple of X-rays on this forum with similar case. So, I assume this is nothing new and hopefully will turn out all good as Dr. Betz says.

Regarding wide legs, are you doing stretches to explicitly target the IT bands? If yes, which stretches?

Also, I was curious about why did you lengthen your left and right leg at different rates?

[SirStretchAlot]

Hello SirStretchALot.

Congrats on reaching the 4 cm mark. That’s almost 50% of the lengthening done!

Your callus growth looks fantastic. Regarding the alignment of bone, I have seen a couple of X-rays on this forum with similar case. So, I assume this is nothing new and hopefully will turn out all good as Dr. Betz says.

Regarding wide legs, are you doing stretches to explicitly target the IT bands? If yes, which stretches?

Also, I was curious about why did you lengthen your left and right leg at different rates?

Haiya chasing,

Yeah I really hope the alignment turns out well, or it will structurally widen my legs :/

I widen/close my legs 50-100 times per set while laying my back on a flat surface. It's what Dr Betz personally demonstrated in the hospital as his most effective stretching exercise.

According to my pre-op x-ray my left femur was 5mm shorter than my right. However, the most recent x-ray showed that my left was 2mm longer which means I over-adjusted 2mm (likely due to initial surgical gap). It's important to take length references from multiple x-rays. Fixing length differences at the end based on one x-ray may not be the best practice.

[SirStretchAlot]

47.12/44.26mm

Hey guys, my leg abduction (wide legs) has reached 58cm when standing still. This is making my entire body swing when trying to walk. The gait is also making basic mobility exhausting.

My quads, hipflexors are completely flexible. I lost some hamstring but it is not affecting my daily routine. Stretching is working for everything but the IT band, which continues to ache during sleep and widen my legs.

To this end, I have consulted several European LL surgeons and have decided with Dr Giotikas since he had a surgical slot on July 1. To my surprise, he only charged 2250 euros for the consultation, operation, anesthasia, and 3 day hospital stay. This is extremely inexpensive. This is a simple procedure but I doubt he's making any money from this. There are still fantastic doctors in this world who don't want to profit from patient complications!

On the brightside, I am officially over the 50% mark. Sleep has improved after taking muscle relaxants before sleep. I can now sleep sound for a full 6 hours, and roll in my bed for another 2 hours.

Will update again after my ITB release. I personally recommend prospective patients who wish to lengthen >5cm in their femurs to only go with doctors who perform it. It is such a deal breaker, as there's no reason to fly to another country for a second surgery.

[RB]

Nice mate. Wishing you best of luck for the release. Keen to hear how you recover from it and how your wide legs are afterwards as I have mine booked for end of July.

[chasing_higher_dream]

All the best for the release surgery. I wish everything works out well for you.

[SirStretchAlot]

49.51/46.65mm

Hey guys, I arrived in Athens yesterday and had my pre-ops done today. Several things to note

1) Due to a horizontal tendon running perpendicular to the IT Band, an ITB release will narrow the legs noticebly but not completely post surgery. Stretching and glute strengthening will need to continue to fully narrow the legs. Bearable gait is achievable a week after op with normal gait returning 1-3 months after lengthening ends.

2) Had I done the ITB release during nail insertion and stretched as I have since the beginning, I would not have experienced wide legs. Thanks Betz...

3) There will be no hospital stay. I will be discharged 5 hours after operation, though I'll have to stay in Athens for 3 days at my own expense.

4) Dr Betz seems to be ignoring my emails, as it has been 7 days since my last reply. (I did not mention ITB release with another surgeon)

Will update you guys tomorrow after my operation!

[SirStretchAlot]

50.50/47.64mm

Hi guys, I have just arrived home from my ITB release surgery. Following are points of note:

Procedure
1) The technical term for "wide legs" from leg lengthening is "post-operative fixed abduction deformity of hip joints".

2) A release is done by cutting a portion of the ITB from the intermuscular septum, seperating it from nearby tissues thus freeing it. Holes can be punctured into the band itself to make it even looser. The connection to nearby tissue as well as the holes will first scar, then remodel into its original fasia over time.
*This is partly why you want to lengthen as quickly as possible, especially in the beginning, since once the band and holes heal, you will be tight again.
*Most patients with ITB release complications tend to be runners or atheletes who put too much stress on their ITB before it fully heals
*Recovered bands usually appear and function near identically to uncut bands.

3) I have experienced a 50%~ reduction in "wide leg" and was able to walk immediately after I woke up. The best part is I can already walk further than I could pre-operation.

4) Left leg is pain free. Localized pain 5/10 when moving and 2/10 when sitting still on my right. I am not taking any painkillers and the pain should disappear tomorrow. It has not affected Betbone clicking.

5) They could not fully reuse the incision from Dr Betz. This is means I will have an additional deep scar in each leg. 

Doctor/Hospital
1) Dr. Giotikas is fantastic. He is reacheable instantly through Whatsapp and is extremely knowledgeable. He noted that significant abduction is very predictable and unlikely to be completely addressed with PT.

2) Compared to Kreiskrankenhaus St. Ingbert (Betz), Mediterraneo Hospital (Giotikas) is larger and more advanced given it's in Greece's capital instead of a small town in Germany. Even though the food wasn't that much better, all nurses and staff spoke English, which is a significant plus for international patients.

Conclusion
1) It is pertinent to mention that leaving wide legs to go on can lead to many complications. Our glutes compensate for lack of strength by widening our stance. This is why overweight people walk with wider legs. By allowing your legs to stay wide (due to tight ITB), it significantly weakens your gluteus muscles. This will give you a very ugly gait, and your butt will hurt when sitting on harder surfaces. Knee pain will also worsen as they're under pressure to bend in and downwards (Knock knees).

2) For those seeking to lengthen more than 5cm, I strongly recommend a surgeon who performs ITB release. For weight-bearing nails in Europe, the only alternative is Dr Guichet who uses a very similar nail to Betz but performs ITB release. He works in Milan and London.

3) If weight-bearing isn't your sole priority, then I would definitely go Giotikas with Precise (available in EU by August). You get more, and better service, for a lower price. Had I done the release during the initial operation, it would be free and I would not have needed to go through another general anesthasia, incision and flight -- recipies for more infection/scars/complications.

If you are one of the unlucky ones who has pain clicking in at least one leg, and have tight IT Bands, Betz would be a poor consideration. Remember, TFL is a very small muscle, and the ITB does not respond to stretching well. It's not something hard work can completely overcome. My wide legs reduced my mobility as much as non-weight-bearing nails would have. It is definitely not an "optional" procedure for many. Not doing it is deviating from standard practice.

Here's a video of how it's done. The actual incision is smaller than in the video.