Topic: Koehne Diary 21/22 | Unilateral Tibia + Femur (Read 23804 times)

randy · « **Reply #93 on:** April 15, 2022, 09:01:45 PM »

Quote from: Siegfried on April 15, 2022, 07:53:44 PM

i dont know the name right now. but you can email them and ask. no public health insurance does not cover complications from a cosmetic surgery.

They have not responded to my enquiry. If you get some time to check the name of that insurance I would be very thankful Siegfried! I think everyone doing this in Germany should get it.

6CMFemurs · « **Reply #94 on:** April 15, 2022, 10:03:26 PM »

Quote from: Siegfried on April 13, 2022, 10:15:40 AM

im not sure you can even call it mild ballerina. usually comes around 3cm and depends how fast you distract.

I know what you are talking about! I feel it too doing unilateral tibia around 2 CM. It’s just like a tightness where your foot doesn’t want to go all the way flat, and you are scared to put more than 50 pounds on it and force it flat, but you are not stuck in a tippy toe position and can still force it into dorsiflexion with stretching.

Height Journey · « **Reply #95 on:** April 16, 2022, 04:13:42 AM »

For tibia lengthening, I heard that it gets tougher around the 3cm mark or a little more. Tibia lengthening patients often say ballerina foot gets worse and lengthening usually needs to slow down from 0.75mm to 0.50mm daily.

It seems like that is what you have reported. Would you like to enter your thoughts into the above paragraph?

Siegfried · « **Reply #96 on:** April 16, 2022, 08:42:02 PM »

got nothing to add. its no secret that the foot gets tigher after a few cm on tibia

6CMFemurs · « **Reply #97 on:** April 18, 2022, 05:17:20 AM »

Siegfried,

How are you doing these days? How long did it take for tibia to consolidate enough to full weight bearing?

Siegfried · « **Reply #98 on:** April 18, 2022, 09:43:03 AM »

Recovery is going well. No pain since post distraction and flexiblity is getting better with every day. I would say 7 months is the mark for full weight bearing on tibia with precise 2

randy · « **Reply #99 on:** May 05, 2022, 09:39:53 AM »

Hey Siegfried,
I have a silly question: In the Penzberg hospital, did you get a locker to keep your stuff safely while you undergo surgery? I do not know if you had family with you, but if someone goes alone to get surgery, do they have to worry about it?
And did you get an internet connection in the hospital?

Wish you good luck for your second leg!

Limbfan2020 · « **Reply #100 on:** May 14, 2022, 10:17:55 AM »

Hi Siegfried, how was your surgery? Everything ok?

TranslatingWithWriting · « **Reply #101 on:** May 17, 2022, 06:42:02 AM »

Hey Siegfried,
do you know if it is true that Germany LL surgeons transfer from previous car accident injury surgeons to their jobs now?
I hope that can vouch for hwo skiLL Forumul Germany LL surgeons actually are.
Thanks!

gunslinger · « **Reply #102 on:** May 20, 2022, 04:06:58 PM »

Hi Siegfriend,

Your approach of doing unilateral tibia + femur is quite interesting. One of the big pluses to this approach is that you gain length quite quickly. Your 8.5cm would have taken 90-100 days of lengthening and 6-10 months of consolidation if it was all done in the femurs. But by splitting it and simultaneously lengthening, you could lengthen 8.5cm in just 60 days (assuming that issue with nail availability had not happened in the beginning) and consolidate in just 5-6 months (even with a broken tibia). You also end up with better proportions and will be able to squat properly after recovery.

Did you discuss with your surgeon the risks of lengthening more than 1mm in total per day per limb? I do not know if there is any research on this. But my primary question is, from a nerve's perspective, does a single nerve feel a 2mm stretch or a 1mm stretch per day with this approach?

Siegfried · « **Reply #103 on:** May 31, 2022, 03:26:41 PM »

Hey guys,

I know its been a while, since I have provided an update. So here we go.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to the the surgery on my second leg yet. Instead, I had to get a bone graft surgery, because my tibia was not healing 100%. So, in order to speed up the process, my surgeon and I decided to go forward with the hip graft surgery, which was done about a week ago.
Surgery for my second leg is scheduled in 6 weeks, about 9 months after my first surgery... Yes, things are taking longer than I anticipated. Be prepared for this, if you guys decide to the unilateral method.

6CMFemurs · « **Reply #104 on:** June 01, 2022, 05:01:32 AM »

First of all, I am so sorry you are dealing with all this. Hopefully you are still in good spirits and staying strong brother . As someone doing unilateral tibias now and still lengthening leg #1, I know there is a real risk this could happen to me too. Is bone graft the standard procedure for a delayed Union like this or were you also offered exchange nailing?

Siegfried · « **Reply #105 on:** June 01, 2022, 02:15:08 PM »

Quote from: 6CMFemurs on June 01, 2022, 05:01:32 AM

Is bone graft the standard procedure for a delayed Union like this or were you also offered exchange nailing?

Im not sure how a nail-exchange would help this situation. Are normal titanium-nails full weight bearing? Furthermore, a nail-change would be far more invasive than a bone-graft.

To be fair, im pretty sure I would not have needed it, since I was basically 95% consolidated and I probably could have proceeded without the bone graft, but I didnt want to take the risk of the nail-breaking.

6CMFemurs · « **Reply #106 on:** June 01, 2022, 02:40:59 PM »

Quote from: Siegfried on June 01, 2022, 02:15:08 PM

Im not sure how a nail-exchange would help this situation. Are normal titanium-nails full weight bearing? Furthermore, a nail-change would be far more invasive than a bone-graft.

To be fair, im pretty sure I would not have needed it, since I was basically 95% consolidated and I probably could have proceeded without the bone graft, but I didnt want to take the risk of the nail-breaking.

That makes sense. So it sounds like you did this so you could speed things up to get onto your second leg. Best of luck man!

randy · « **Reply #107 on:** June 01, 2022, 03:12:17 PM »

Quote from: Siegfried on June 01, 2022, 02:15:08 PM

Im not sure how a nail-exchange would help this situation. Are normal titanium-nails full weight bearing? Furthermore, a nail-change would be far more invasive than a bone-graft.

To be fair, im pretty sure I would not have needed it, since I was basically 95% consolidated and I probably could have proceeded without the bone graft, but I didnt want to take the risk of the nail-breaking.

Yes titanium trauma nails are fully weight bearing. But nail exchange means going in through the knee 2 more times. You have already avoided this once by doing hip insertion of the femur nails probably due to the same reason.

Siegfried · « **Reply #108 on:** June 01, 2022, 06:46:08 PM »

Quote from: 6CMFemurs on June 01, 2022, 02:40:59 PM

That makes sense. So it sounds like you did this so you could speed things up to get onto your second leg. Best of luck man!

Thanks! All the best for you as well!

Siegfried · « **Reply #109 on:** June 06, 2022, 12:47:39 PM »

https://imgur.com/a/QMfkThC?fbclid=IwAR0TRQiVo28EakjncGIAuBu6ddbvxaqAQkUnEBAGGULpVDP8SoOw0zJkluU

Here a picture of my proportions after 8.3cm. Im wearing my orthopedic shoe on the right side.

informationispower · « **Reply #110 on:** June 06, 2022, 02:20:28 PM »

Hard to tell but seems somewhat good. A mirror and a fit shirt or even shirtless would be better in order to judge. The important thing is what YOU ferl though

Siegfried · « **Reply #111 on:** June 06, 2022, 02:50:48 PM »

I think it looks good

randy · « **Reply #112 on:** June 06, 2022, 05:18:49 PM »

Fantastisch

8.3cm quad easily beats 8cm femurs at proportions

Limbfan2020 · « **Reply #113 on:** June 06, 2022, 05:24:47 PM »

Great picture Siegfried!

How is your femur? Is the gap already filled with new bone?

Siegfried · « **Reply #114 on:** June 06, 2022, 05:27:15 PM »

The 2.5cm shoes also need to be accounted for. So the picture is more like 10cm in total.

The bone graft was in my tibia. Yeah i think its healed by now, so ready for the next surgery.

DownLand · « **Reply #115 on:** June 12, 2022, 05:52:09 PM »

Hey I'd rather choose Ebola or Smallpox than being short and I want to do Paley's Option 5 so I can relate to how it feels like being 167cm in fking Germany.
I am wondering since I have good flexbilities what benefits it will bring to me.

Iron_Man · « **Reply #116 on:** July 01, 2022, 10:17:06 PM »

https://imgur.com/a/QMfkThC?fbclid=IwAR0TRQiVo28EakjncGIAuBu6ddbvxaqAQkUnEBAGGULpVDP8SoOw0zJkluU

Here a picture of my proportions after 8.3cm. Im wearing my orthopedic shoe on the right side.

There is no photo in the link (

Asi219 · « **Reply #117 on:** July 13, 2022, 08:37:34 AM »

Any new news after one year post-op

Siegfried · « **Reply #118 on:** July 21, 2022, 07:10:52 PM »

9 months post first surgery. I had my second surgery one week ago and am distracting my second leg now.

Siegfried · « **Reply #119 on:** July 22, 2022, 08:36:19 PM »

Day 9 now: inflammation and swelling getting better, but still pretty bad. I honestly don’t remember it being this painful last time lol. Most of it is coming from the femur incision sites. On a pain scale 1-10, It’s basically a permanent 2-3.

6CMFemurs · « **Reply #120 on:** July 22, 2022, 10:11:35 PM »

Hey Siegfried,

Congrats on the 2nd surgery. I am sorry you are in more pain than the first time. Hopefully this will subside soon. How is it getting around on your other leg 10 months post op? Does your “good leg” feel tighter, or less mobile than before?

Siegfried · « **Reply #121 on:** July 23, 2022, 12:32:12 PM »

Yeah, the other leg feels great. Barely feel a difference tbh

6CMFemurs · « **Reply #122 on:** July 28, 2022, 06:00:03 AM »

Awesome!

randy · « **Reply #123 on:** July 31, 2022, 12:04:17 PM »

Was the bone graft surgery covered by that insurance Dr Koehne had offered to you?

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Author Topic: Koehne Diary 21/22 | Unilateral Tibia + Femur (Read 23804 times)