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[Stand taller]

Were you ever medically confirmed to be 1:1 ratio before LL? You can only say that via xray really. Most people just measure wrongly, a common mistake is measuring heel to top of the knee (is not tibia length) and from of the knee to groin area (is not the femur length).

I am asking this specifically because 1:1 ratio would mean you have had some pretty strong birth defect or perhaps severe accident during growth years. Just imagine this for a second; a quick search reveals that the mean average femur length in the average Joe is 50cm. And the tibia 39cm.
That means imagine how the average Joe would look like with +11cm only on tibia LL. Yea that would be a true 1:1 ratio. You can shop any person with that amount on tibia only and you will see how freaky it looks. I did +10 mockup on tibia myself and it look really alienish. I am all for long tibias but with tiny femurs it did look like on stelts. But it would be 1:1 ratio.

 there is a reason why body parts grow to their correct sizes and proportions. And not your pinky being all of a sudden as big as your middle finger for example. And no severe conditions I ever heard of, even like marfan syndrome (where all of your limbs are elongated) have 1:1 ratio. „i have 1:1 ratio“ most often means wrongly measured or just guessed.
The thing I wanna add here is that most males wear boxershorts and they visually cut off quite a bit of the femur that‘s why a lot of people consider their femurs as short

No never had my femurs or tibias medically measured. I used these two videos to measure correctly:




So my measurement isn't 100% accurate, but should be close enough. I could also cross reference this method on my femurs with the scars from where the nails and screws went in against my x-rays. This way I was able to measure the length more accurately. My femurs are now 50cm and my tibias 37cm. If I subtract 11,4cm from my femurs, that puts them at 38,6 before surgery.

I don't have any birth defects that I know of. But compared to friends who are 178-180cm the height of my knee while sitting and also my sitting height has be very close to them. So I've just had short femurs, I mean people have different proportions right. A friend in our group is 175cm tall, but his sitting height is more than another friend who is 191cm. I also made a ton of mock-ups before surgery and I looked fine in all of them. This is also how I was confident that I could lengthen as much as I did.

I've also written about this before, but I had so short femurs before that I had problems driving bigger cars like Range Rovers or Volvo XC90s because the length of the cushion was too long. Just take a look at this photo, I am sitting in the back of larger luxury car and the cushion is longer than my femurs. Nobody I know at my old height ever had this problem.

https://freeimage.host/i/HaH8nxn

[Stand taller]

Day 368 (Day 210 Post clicking)

It's now more than a year since I did my surgery and I am not fully recovered yet, so I thought I'd write a little timeline for my recovery and why I think my recovery is taking more time than most others.

My surgery was on January 14th 2022. Everything went well and I grew 6mm from the initial gap. I know I wrote 5mm in my diary, but at the time I just rounded down - but the gap was 6mm to be accurate.

On January 23rd, nine days after surgery I started the process of clicking. After almost 5 months of clicking I and a little more than 5 months after my surgery I was done clicking. In this time period I had lengthened 11,5cm reaching a height of 177cm.

In the beginning of September I stopped using crutches at home and I slowly started to walk. On November 16th I stopped using crutches altogether being able to walk outside the house without them.

December 1st I got the Flu and was knocked out for about three weeks, altogether I lost a good month of progress.

Today on the 16th of January 2023 I am walking better, more upright and more normal than ever - though I am probably a few months away being able to walk 100% normal. I still have som duckass tough.

Some have commented that my recovery has been long, and that my duckass hasn't been resolved yet - and that it is worrying. Well, I am not worried and this is why I am not.

Yes it is true that most here are fully or almost fully recovered after a year, and I am not. Most people are not only able to walk, but also jog and even run - and I am still struggling with walking normally. But most people here lengthen between 5 - 8 cm, I did 11,5cm. (for some reason, the past few weeks I thought I lengthened 11,4cm, when in reality I did 11,5cm).

If you lengthen 6cm, that is done in 2,5 months in most cases. Sometimes faster and other times slower, but I think 2,5 months is fair average. It takes 40 days to consolidate 1cm of lengthening, so we are talking about 240 days or about 8 months. One year after surgery you are 9,5 months post lengthening and 1,5 months past being fully consolidated.

Now let's take a look at me. It took me 5,25 months to lengthening 11,5cm, and that will take 460 days to consolidate! So one year later I am "only" 6,75 months post lengthening and still 220 days from being fully consolidated. So you can see that because I lengthening 11,5cm I am actually around three months behind post lengthening period than somebody who "only" lengthening 6cm. And I am "only" half way through consolidating rather than being fully consolidated 1,5 months ago. And all of this is considering that recovery time is linear independent of lengthening amount, when in reality I probably will need even more time to recovery per cm due to my extreme lengthening.

Where person who did 6cm may be at 100% recovered at the one year mark, I am due to a different timeline only about 57-60% done. So yeah, twice the lengthening is going to take around twice the time to get back to being 100% recovered.

[RealLostSoul]

of course consolidation will take longer for you but that‘s not the thing that causes your duckass. To me personally it sounds very strange that you stopped crutches 3 months POST clicking at home, why so late? I stopped crutches at home entirely when I was at 6cm. At like 8.5cm I only used 1 crutch outside and sometimes when it wasn‘t too icy even only hiking sticks. All that helped me to actively fight duckass. If you are on crutches you are in a passive posture that pushes you into duckass.
I know a person that did 10.5cm and 4 weeks post clicking he was walking 100% normal with 0 duckass. Only with less stamina than before, obviously and no sports yet. 8 weeks later he sent another video and it really looks so normal. Fast and perfect gait.
I think it comes down to stretching and training. Am I remembering correctly, you did 2hours of stretching during lengthening?
That‘s sadly just not enough. Especially for 11-12cm. You would need 4h minimum, no days off. Even at only 12/13 clicks (0.6-0.7mm/day) you need 4h.

Not meaning to be offensive by any means but from my personal experience something feels a bit off with your chronology.
I personally end up at 11cm and I am at the very last few days of clicking. Only need one crutch for stairs and steps now as I need to wait a bit before I can do these unassisted but that‘s it. Duckass is slightly there but no backpain at all and it‘s only a bit visible without clothes. No wide legs at all, very loose it band (soft release was definitely enough lol). Stamina is very low. Can only walk max 45min outside before being fatigued. But muscle strengthening will become my next step soon.

[hippo60]

No never had my femurs or tibias medically measured. I used these two videos to measure correctly:

When you took x-rays before the surgery, they didn't measure your tibias and femurs? I thought it's pretty standard...

[Stand taller]

of course consolidation will take longer for you but that‘s not the thing that causes your duckass. To me personally it sounds very strange that you stopped crutches 3 months POST clicking at home, why so late? I stopped crutches at home entirely when I was at 6cm. At like 8.5cm I only used 1 crutch outside and sometimes when it wasn‘t too icy even only hiking sticks. All that helped me to actively fight duckass. If you are on crutches you are in a passive posture that pushes you into duckass.
I know a person that did 10.5cm and 4 weeks post clicking he was walking 100% normal with 0 duckass. Only with less stamina than before, obviously and no sports yet. 8 weeks later he sent another video and it really looks so normal. Fast and perfect gait.
I think it comes down to stretching and training. Am I remembering correctly, you did 2hours of stretching during lengthening?
That‘s sadly just not enough. Especially for 11-12cm. You would need 4h minimum, no days off. Even at only 12/13 clicks (0.6-0.7mm/day) you need 4h.

Not meaning to be offensive by any means but from my personal experience something feels a bit off with your chronology.
I personally end up at 11cm and I am at the very last few days of clicking. Only need one crutch for stairs and steps now as I need to wait a bit before I can do these unassisted but that‘s it. Duckass is slightly there but no backpain at all and it‘s only a bit visible without clothes. No wide legs at all, very loose it band (soft release was definitely enough lol). Stamina is very low. Can only walk max 45min outside before being fatigued. But muscle strengthening will become my next step soon.

I appreciate your feedback, but the thing you have to understand is that where are not all the same. Our bodies react to this procedure differently, and different people have different problems and issues. No two stories are the same and cannot be compared directly. There is a diary here on the forum from years ago where two friends lengthening at the same time and did around the same amount of lengthening. One of the friends developed duckass and wide legs, while the other friend did not. The one that did develop these complications also spent like three times more the amount on stretching than the other guy. There is no right or wrong here, just different bodies reacting differently.

I am glad you are have been able to walk better than me, have less duck ass than me and been able to stretch as much as 4 hours every day. But if you have read all of my posts I didn't stretch for "only" 2 hours every day because I didn't want to, but because that was the limit my body was able to handle. Believe me when I say I tried and I wanted, there is nothing wrong with my power of will. In my 20s I played sports at a very high level, so I know what pushing my body to the limit feels like over years. I even prepared three months in advance, stretching every day.

I have had weeks where I have fell a sleep on the sofa for hours at random times in the day because I was completely exhausted. If you can't stay awake enough hours it doesn't matter how much time you spend on stretching if can't do anything else.

For months at my physiotherapist at the time I stopped clicking I had such bad duckass and poor range of motion because of it as well as the stiffness we used to strap myself to the bench with belts using the electric motors to pull me flat. We did this until I screamed in pain until I couldn't handle it. Read that again, I was so stiff that me pushing while be used all of his power and body wright wasn't enough to stretch me. The only thing that worked was an electric motor.

You may think my story is strange, but believe me - you where never even close to how bad I was. And if you where you'd have a little more sympathy and understanding. You wouldn't saying things like "that's so strange, because I didn't have those problems".

Here is a photo of me strapped to the bench.

https://freeimage.host/i/HauJrHx

EDIT:

And also dude, just found your diary. You are 21! And am close to 40 now, that's gonna make A HUGE DIFFERENCE! There is no comparing our stories.

[Stand taller]

When you took x-rays before the surgery, they didn't measure your tibias and femurs? I thought it's pretty standard...

Took x-rays of my femurs, but not my tibias. Not sure why they would x-ray my tibias when doing surgery on my femurs though?

[RealLostSoul]

I appreciate your feedback, but the thing you have to understand is that where are not all the same. Our bodies react to this procedure differently, and different people have different problems and issues. No two stories are the same and cannot be compared directly. There is a diary here on the forum from years ago where two friends lengthening at the same time and did around the same amount of lengthening. One of the friends developed duckass and wide legs, while the other friend did not. The one that did develop these complications also spent like three times more the amount on stretching than the other guy. There is no right or wrong here, just different bodies reacting differently.

I am glad you are have been able to walk better than me, have less duck ass than me and been able to stretch as much as 4 hours every day. But if you have read all of my posts I didn't stretch for "only" 2 hours every day because I didn't want to, but because that was the limit my body was able to handle. Believe me when I say I tried and I wanted, there is nothing wrong with my power of will. In my 20s I played sports at a very high level, so I know what pushing my body to the limit feels like over years. I even prepared three months in advance, stretching every day.

I have had weeks where I have fell a sleep on the sofa for hours at random times in the day because I was completely exhausted. If you can't stay awake enough hours it doesn't matter how much time you spend on stretching if can't do anything else.

For months at my physiotherapist at the time I stopped clicking I had such bad duckass and poor range of motion because of it as well as the stiffness we used to strap myself to the bench with belts using the electric motors to pull me flat. We did this until I screamed in pain until I couldn't handle it. Read that again, I was so stiff that me pushing while be used all of his power and body wright wasn't enough to stretch me. The only thing that worked was an electric motor.

You may think my story is strange, but believe me - you where never even close to how bad I was. And if you where you'd have a little more sympathy and understanding. You wouldn't saying things like "that's so strange, because I didn't have those problems".

Here is a photo of me strapped to the bench.

https://freeimage.host/i/HauJrHx

EDIT:

And also dude, just found your diary. You are 21! And am close to 40 now, that's gonna make A HUGE DIFFERENCE! There is no comparing our stories.

Damn yea sorry you had to experience this. Sucks.
I agree obviously everyone is different, I am not blaming you for anything. Just gave my thoughts. To me I still need to calculate and stretch after pain killers. They give me the energy to do it and sometimes i do long 3h sessions when they kick in.  And in the evening i got the support from my father who helps me squeeze the last part of the stretching. I can totally second how terribly exhausting it is. I say it feels like being totally dead already and still forced to do it like in a labor camp.
But sadly I found out it‘s just more about the quantity rather than the quality of the stretch. Of course not stretching hard enough is bad but we rather just need the total time. That‘s the important part.

On a good note, I am jealous you could do 11.5! That‘s amazing. I have to quit at 11. I would also go to 11.5 but after the last xray I was told my maximum is 11 and any further would be too risky and I am not allowed.
Regards.

[hippo60]

Took x-rays of my femurs, but not my tibias. Not sure why they would x-ray my tibias when doing surgery on my femurs though?

Fair enough. For my consultation they x-rayed the entire leg, but I guess if it was already decided to do femurs then it doesn't make sense.

[Stand taller]

Damn yea sorry you had to experience this. Sucks.
I agree obviously everyone is different, I am not blaming you for anything. Just gave my thoughts. To me I still need to calculate and stretch after pain killers. They give me the energy to do it and sometimes i do long 3h sessions when they kick in.  And in the evening i got the support from my father who helps me squeeze the last part of the stretching. I can totally second how terribly exhausting it is. I say it feels like being totally dead already and still forced to do it like in a labor camp.
But sadly I found out it‘s just more about the quantity rather than the quality of the stretch. Of course not stretching hard enough is bad but we rather just need the total time. That‘s the important part.

On a good note, I am jealous you could do 11.5! That‘s amazing. I have to quit at 11. I would also go to 11.5 but after the last xray I was told my maximum is 11 and any further would be too risky and I am not allowed.
Regards.

It's okay, it's all in the past now. I mean stretching is still pain and I push myself through that pain every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with my PT, but it is all worth it. But I have nothing close to the pain and lack of range of motion I had until September/October. And I am getting and better every day now, so I am past the worst of it. I am at a point where I can do stretching exercises many times a day now, and as you say it has more to do with the quantity rather than the quality. I do it first thing out of bed, after breakfast, every time I get out of the car, in the evening watching series I can do many different types of exercises and even when I go to bed. But there was a period of time where I couldn't do more than two, maybe three hours the days I went to my PT.

Yeah, 11,5cm is LIFE CHANGING! It's a crazy thing having been short for the past 25 or so years, since I was a teenager. And then suddenly I am as tall as most of my friends and even taller than some. So my height neurosis is completely gone, 100%. 11,1cm is crazy too, especially with your starting height of 5 foot 10, so how tall are you know then? 6 foot 2? Closer do 6 foot 3? Insane!

[Stand taller]

Fair enough. For my consultation they x-rayed the entire leg, but I guess if it was already decided to do femurs then it doesn't make sense.

My pre-opt preparation was kind of rushed, but totally my fault and nothing to do with Dr Betz and Dr Becker. I was supposed to have my surgery on the 10th, but because I something came up I had to postpone it. Initially the whole thing was pushed back like 4 weeks I think, but then a patient from China had issues with his Covid-19 vaccination card. I took that slot and flew down the day before, and the x-rays where done just a few hours before surgery. So I think because everything was kind of last minute they only did the femurs, but not sure if they normally do tibias though.

[RealLostSoul]

It's okay, it's all in the past now. I mean stretching is still pain and I push myself through that pain every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with my PT, but it is all worth it. But I have nothing close to the pain and lack of range of motion I had until September/October. And I am getting and better every day now, so I am past the worst of it. I am at a point where I can do stretching exercises many times a day now, and as you say it has more to do with the quantity rather than the quality. I do it first thing out of bed, after breakfast, every time I get out of the car, in the evening watching series I can do many different types of exercises and even when I go to bed. But there was a period of time where I couldn't do more than two, maybe three hours the days I went to my PT.

Yeah, 11,5cm is LIFE CHANGING! It's a crazy thing having been short for the past 25 or so years, since I was a teenager. And then suddenly I am as tall as most of my friends and even taller than some. So my height neurosis is completely gone, 100%. 11,1cm is crazy too, especially with your starting height of 5 foot 10, so how tall are you know then? 6 foot 2? Closer do 6 foot 3? Insane!

Great to hear man! I am sure soon you will be recovered totally. How much sports can you do now? How about dancing in the club?

Well if everything goes according to plan I will be 6‘2.5 (189cm). But rn I can‘t even measure properly because of the duckass. It‘s taking away 2-3cm. Did you also experience that?

My pre-opt preparation was kind of rushed, but totally my fault and nothing to do with Dr Betz and Dr Becker. I was supposed to have my surgery on the 10th, but because I something came up I had to postpone it. Initially the whole thing was pushed back like 4 weeks I think, but then a patient from China had issues with his Covid-19 vaccination card. I took that slot and flew down the day before, and the x-rays where done just a few hours before surgery. So I think because everything was kind of last minute they only did the femurs, but not sure if they normally do tibias though.

Normally they did the full leg from front and sides for me.

[Stand taller]

Great to hear man! I am sure soon you will be recovered totally. How much sports can you do now? How about dancing in the club?

Well if everything goes according to plan I will be 6‘2.5 (189cm). But rn I can‘t even measure properly because of the duckass. It‘s taking away 2-3cm. Did you also experience that?


Normally they did the full leg from front and sides for me.

Thanks, you too man!

I went to the club on New Years for the first time in over a year, it was my first time out and about without my crutches or car. I could dance like stationary around our table then, so probably a little better now. I can like almost jog lightly, but not sure I should yet. Doing another set of x-rays in a week, so hopefully consolidation is good. I have a video-appointment with Dr Becker tomorrow, so I'll ask him.

That's insane, you are literally tall now. Yeah, I haven't tried measuring for a while - but I did a "digital" mock up with my duckass. I could then alter my body to what it would be without. I think I as missing like 1,5-2cm, and now maybe 0,5-1cm, but not sure because I haven't measured lately.

[hippo60]

So I think because everything was kind of last minute they only did the femurs, but not sure if they normally do tibias though.

Got it! Well at least you got to do it earlier, that's always nice 

[Stand taller]

I had my Facetime meeting with Dr Becker today, just discussing my progress and what to expect in the months to come. As I've written here before, Dr Becker has been my main contact person, and also the one who did the surgery on me under supervision of Dr Betz. I've only med Dr Betz a few times, but met with Dr Becker several times a day when I was in Germany. Dr Betz is great, but I think Dr Becker being much younger (guessing in his early 40s) he just has an awesome vibe.

We where talking a little about my duckass and range of motion and he said that it is hard if not impossible to compare my or any journey with anybody else's - because we are all different. He said some people develop duckass, while other don't - some develop wide legs while others don't etc. In my case I did develop severe duck ass, that will still probably take 2 - 3 months to resolve 100%.

I can also now jog very lightly, and even though I haven't gotten my latest x-rays yet I am probably fine doing that based on how I feel. I feel stronger and more solid than ever. Because of how the Betz bone works, your tibia will rotate in relation to your femur and can be described as walking on egg shells. It's a strange sensation, and will go away once the bone starts to consolidate properly. I don't have any of this rotation anymore, and even when I try to rotate my tibia it won't - so therefor my legs feel very solid now.

Doing the activities I did today, delivering and picking up in day care, going to meeting, going shopping and walking back and forth from my car I've walked around 1km - which I think is a new milestone. I am feeling better with more stamina every day, and I think I soon can do more. Dr Becker told me though to try 1km for a week, then next week try 2km etc. But after dinner today I crashed on the sofa, falling a sleep from exhaustion. I'll keep pushing though and keep up the progress!

[lessthanavg8300]

I had my Facetime meeting with Dr Becker today, just discussing my progress and what to expect in the months to come. As I've written here before, Dr Becker has been my main contact person, and also the one who did the surgery on me under supervision of Dr Betz. I've only med Dr Betz a few times, but met with Dr Becker several times a day when I was in Germany. Dr Betz is great, but I think Dr Becker being much younger (guessing in his early 40s) he just has an awesome vibe.

We where talking a little about my duckass and range of motion and he said that it is hard if not impossible to compare my or any journey with anybody else's - because we are all different. He said some people develop duckass, while other don't - some develop wide legs while others don't etc. In my case I did develop severe duck ass, that will still probably take 2 - 3 months to resolve 100%.

I can also now jog very lightly, and even though I haven't gotten my latest x-rays yet I am probably fine doing that based on how I feel. I feel stronger and more solid than ever. Because of how the Betz bone works, your tibia will rotate in relation to your femur and can be described as walking on egg shells. It's a strange sensation, and will go away once the bone starts to consolidate properly. I don't have any of this rotation anymore, and even when I try to rotate my tibia it won't - so therefor my legs feel very solid now.

Doing the activities I did today, delivering and picking up in day care, going to meeting, going shopping and walking back and forth from my car I've walked around 1km - which I think is a new milestone. I am feeling better with more stamina every day, and I think I soon can do more. Dr Becker told me though to try 1km for a week, then next week try 2km etc. But after dinner today I crashed on the sofa, falling a sleep from exhaustion. I'll keep pushing though and keep up the progress!

Congrats on getting to where you are, you're in the final stretch.

Question: when you first got the operation, did you have the "pinwheel effect" on your legs where they would basically glide and rotate when standing.  Or were they stable and the nail would not turn easily?  My left has some movement and Im hoping that goes away early in consolidation.

[Stand taller]

Congrats on getting to where you are, you're in the final stretch.

Question: when you first got the operation, did you have the "pinwheel effect" on your legs where they would basically glide and rotate when standing.  Or were they stable and the nail would not turn easily?  My left has some movement and Im hoping that goes away early in consolidation.

Thanks a lot, yeah I am feeling more and more optimistic every day. As I've written in the past few posts, my gait, my duckass and my form is improving every day!

Yes I did experience this "pin wheel" effect or as Dr Becker calls it "walking on egg shells". This is because your tibia will rotate relatively to your femur due to the way the clicking mechanism works. During lengthening and walking on crutches it didn't bother me because the tension due to lengthening keeps everything tight and I didn't have too much of this "pin wheel" sensation. But once you stop clicking and your legs start to catch up at loosen this all becomes more apparent.

My left leg had more movement and in total I had 22 accidental clicks until September 11th and haven't had any more since. Had some "pin wheel" sensation a few months after that, but now my bones seem to have consolidated enough that I have zero movement and my legs feel rock solid.

[lessthanavg8300]

Thanks a lot, yeah I am feeling more and more optimistic every day. As I've written in the past few posts, my gait, my duckass and my form is improving every day!

Yes I did experience this "pin wheel" effect or as Dr Becker calls it "walking on egg shells". This is because your tibia will rotate relatively to your femur due to the way the clicking mechanism works. During lengthening and walking on crutches it didn't bother me because the tension due to lengthening keeps everything tight and I didn't have too much of this "pin wheel" sensation. But once you stop clicking and your legs start to catch up at loosen this all becomes more apparent.

My left leg had more movement and in total I had 22 accidental clicks until September 11th and haven't had any more since. Had some "pin wheel" sensation a few months after that, but now my bones seem to have consolidated enough that I have zero movement and my legs feel rock solid.

Beautiful, Im so glad they harden up and provide that support eventually. 

[dz93]

Hello Stand taller!  As others have said, thanks for a comprehensive and very interesting diary so far!  I especially like your focus on not only the process, but also the "aftermath" and your experience in daily life.  It really adds value to this forum to get the emotional, psychosocial and longer-term story relating to having gone through this procedure and moving on from it.  Of course also if there are any physical long-term effects to report.  Hope you will stick around here as long as you can!  And wishing you a continued good recovery of course.

I've been thinking, LLers are maybe the only human beings ever to experience what it's like having a growth spurt after the early 20s, which is kind of mind blowing.  Science fiction kind of stuff.

And one thing I found especially interesting in your diary was exactly that, what you said about the strange experience of slowly growing taller and at some point no longer feeling "small" anymore around people, I think this was when you passed 170cm.

So I was wondering, do you think you would have thought differently about your height and size originally, and maybe wouldn't have desired or considered this surgery, if your starting point was at let's say 171-173cm which is slightly above where you stopped feeling small?

(About the segment measurements and X-rays discussion earlier, if the surgeon has those on file from your femurs, I guess you could somehow get an X-ray of your tibias now, and get to these raw numbers to settle any possible remaining uncertainty around your initial T/F ratio?)

[Stand taller]

Hello Stand taller!  As others have said, thanks for a comprehensive and very interesting diary so far!  I especially like your focus on not only the process, but also the "aftermath" and your experience in daily life.  It really adds value to this forum to get the emotional, psychosocial and longer-term story relating to having gone through this procedure and moving on from it.  Of course also if there are any physical long-term effects to report.  Hope you will stick around here as long as you can!  And wishing you a continued good recovery of course.

I've been thinking, LLers are maybe the only human beings ever to experience what it's like having a growth spurt after the early 20s, which is kind of mind blowing.  Science fiction kind of stuff.

And one thing I found especially interesting in your diary was exactly that, what you said about the strange experience of slowly growing taller and at some point no longer feeling "small" anymore around people, I think this was when you passed 170cm.

So I was wondering, do you think you would have thought differently about your height and size originally, and maybe wouldn't have desired or considered this surgery, if your starting point was at let's say 171-173cm which is slightly above where you stopped feeling small?

(About the segment measurements and X-rays discussion earlier, if the surgeon has those on file from your femurs, I guess you could somehow get an X-ray of your tibias now, and get to these raw numbers to settle any possible remaining uncertainty around your initial T/F ratio?)

Thanks! Most diaries here focus more on the facts and the practical things about LLS, which is great - but almost nobody talks about the emotions and experience after reaching ones new height. This was something I was missing before I did LLS, so hopefully people will enjoy that. Hopefully I will continue sharing my experience in the years to come.

It is correct that passing around 170cm I stopped feeling small, mostly because I was taller than young teenagers. I think this is because I stopped growing at 12-13 years old, and young teenagers have often been my height or even taller. At 177cm there aren't many young teenagers my height, and if they are they are most likely 17-19 years old. I think you pose an interesting question that is hard for me to answer, but I can tell you this. I only have a handful of friends at around 170cm or shorter, and at this point in time I haven't told them about my surgery. But talking to friends who are around my old height, I feel tall and towering - almost powerful when with them. They are truly small from my new perspective, which is a strange new sensation - but I almost feel kind of guilty too at the same time. Probably a guilt that us who have done LLS can only feel having been small, but now normal. I don't think I would feel that way at 170cm.

I have two friend who are around 174-175cm who do know about my LLS, and they are also the ones who understand the most - but also say they wouldn't consider it because their height neurosis is only occasional and when they talk about being "short" it's not wholehearted like us who where really short (169cm and below). It's kind of like a group of friends where everybody isd making 100 - 150k a year, but there is the one friend who only makes around 75k, drives a BMW 3-series and he is considered "poor". Sure he may not be as well of as his friends, like the guy being 175cm not being as tall as the average guy at 178-183cm, but in no was is he poor.

I think if I was around 170cm I probably would consider LLS and maybe even do it, but if I was around 175cm tall I probably wouldn't. I have no desire if being tall, just a desire of not being short. It's kind of like, I have not desire of being rich - but I want to be comfortable and safe. At 177cm I am right below the average male height in my country, taller than around 45-50% of all males and 95-97% of all females basically making me taller than 70-80% of the population. And that is awesome and more than good enough for me.

I feel I've measured my femurs and tibias accurate enough, and feel they look fine. So I don't care enough to even think about it.

[Stand taller]

Day 376 (Day 218 Post clicking)

Had my x-rays taken yesterday, here you can seen them:

https://freeimage.host/i/H097cbe

https://freeimage.host/i/H097Esj

https://freeimage.host/i/H097Mqx

According to Dr Becker everything is ACE and I am now past any fear of nonunion, and that the bones are now almost completely healed. This is great news, and means I can now start to jog lightly and eventually run.

Other than that, at my PT we are reaching new milestones in stretching. So much that I have actually felt some light nerve pain in my lower right leg. This is actually a good thing since it is a sign of that the rate we have been stretching lately has increased to a point where my nerves can't "keep up". I feel noticeably better after each session now (I go there three times a week), I am softer and walk more upright after every session.

Last week I also walked 1 km two days, and 1,5 km another day - really pushing my body. Hopefully my progress stays at this pace, or even picks up even more.

[hippo60]

That's great to hear! Let us know how that light jogging going 
You felt nerve pain while lengthening as well or only now?

[dz93]

Thanks for the quick and long answer ST, once again, great diary and looking forward to the continuation. 

I think in many western countries, especially less ethnically diverse ones with average male heights around 178-183cm, the 170-175cm range can be a weird one to find oneself in for a guy.  It's kind of in between categories or groups.  You're just slightly taller than the majority of women, but not necessarily enough to be "significant" or that noticable.  It makes your height much more common to see for women than men.  And that's before considering certain footwear like high heels.  A few people might see you as short in a slightly uncommon way, but I bet most people won't, and rather will see you as "kinda short for a guy I guess but I know quite a few guys like that".  Below 170cm of course, things can become different, because as a man being that height will be more and more rare the lower you go, and when you cross past the female average I would say it's more clearly outlier territory with all the disadvantages and challenges that can involve.  Seeing men that height is uncommon enough making you simply stand out more.  If that makes sense.

At 170-175cm, guys could always move to another country or city where the average height is lower, if that is acceptable and could improve ones life otherwise.  Then there would be more guys than women around the height range you find yourself in.  Certainly less "drastic" than having LLS, and would have the same effect at least if you only plan to lengthen a more average 5-6cm anyway.  But again, below that height range those relocation options are fewer.  Heck, the closer you are to 175cm, the more some thick but still normal boots could help out slightly to bump you up on those percentiles if you really feel the need.

Do you know may people around 170cm that seem to be negatively affected by their height?  Do you think some of them would consider this surgery if offered it and they knew all you know about it now?

Also, one more thing.  It's so interesting to me that you've been this open with both friends and family about this procedure.  I guess that means you have good close friends and a loving family, which is always a good thing regardless of who you are what happens in life.  Congrats on that.   Not everyone will (be able to) have that approach and some will go to great lengths to hide and deny having done this, or relocate and change jobs to start afresh.  Do you think your friends at 173cm and below have noticed and thought about what has happened with your height?  Do you plan on telling them, or only if the ask you about it?

[Captain Bone]

Good luck on your journey

[Stand taller]

Day 391 (Day 233 Post clicking)

I have been super busy past few weeks with work and just everyday life. A huge step forward is me getting back a lot of my stamina and energy levels in general. Before surgery I was used to working 60-80 hour weeks without a problem. After surgery this took a big hit and first now I feel I am able to work 40+ hours without a problem. Of course lengheting and pushing your body with stretching and exercises does take a toll and takes away a lot of that work capacity. But for the first time in long time, I feel that the days are too short rather than I am too tired. I am feeling like my old selv more and more every day.

Physio, stretching and exercising is also going very well, and I feel I am seeing noticeable progress every day. It is still winter and generally hard to walk outdoors here, but for the past few weeks I have walking in my local mall with a shopping cart - doing a total of 1km+ almost every day. The reason I am walking with a shopping cart is to extend my stride as much as possible so I am stretching my hip flexors. Walking with a shopping cart lets me do this much more than waling without one. In total I try to walking around 1 -1,5km every day. That with several sessions with stretching a day and also going to my physiotherapist three times a week has really been improving my form and my gait. I still have a little duck ass, but again that is improving every day. I would say I am about 90% there with my duck ass and my gait being normal.

For the first time in my diary here is a video of me walking. I filmed one two weeks ago, and there is noticeable improvement in just two weeks.

https://files.fm/u/6dnrut47x

As you can see, I still have some duck ass because of tight hip flexors and possibly a tight it-band. My stride is almost normal, but not having full range of motion in my hip joint means I still have some stiffness in my gait as well as some hip sway.

All in all I am pretty happy with my progress lately and hopefully it continues at this pace!

[TheDream]

Congrats on all the good progress.
Did they not do an IT-band release? I thought that was done if you lengthen over 5 cm femurs.

[sixfootandhalf]

congrats on your progress!

Two major questions:

1. Did you get an ITB release ?

2. If not, why not?

They offer it now, and almost everyone does either a soft, or proper ITB release.

[RealLostSoul]

Hyperlordosis is not related to itband. Just look up hyperlordosis treatment and you will see

[Stand taller]

congrats on your progress!

Two major questions:

1. Did you get an ITB release ?

2. If not, why not?

They offer it now, and almost everyone does either a soft, or proper ITB release.

Thanks!

I wasn't offered it, so I did not get it. It seems like Betz and Becker started doing right after I did my surgery though.

[Stand taller]

Hyperlordosis is not related to itband. Just look up hyperlordosis treatment and you will see

You do know that the IT-band connects to the Tensor Faciae Latae, the glutus maximus and the glutus medius. It is all connected dude. Not sure if you have done this surgery and if so did you have issues with tight hip flexors or a tight IT-band? In my case though, all the stretches around these muscles have helped. And even Dr Becker says that an IT-Band release will help a little with duck ass. A tight it band also means tightness in some of the hip flexors and other muscles that affect duck ass. Is a tight IT-band the "main" culprit? No, but it does play a role.

[RealLostSoul]

You do know that the IT-band connects to the Tensor Faciae Latae, the glutus maximus and the glutus medius. It is all connected dude. Not sure if you have done this surgery and if so did you have issues with tight hip flexors or a tight IT-band? In my case though, all the stretches around these muscles have helped. And even Dr Becker says that an IT-Band release will help a little with duck ass. A tight it band also means tightness in some of the hip flexors and other muscles that affect duck ass. Is a tight IT-band the "main" culprit? No, but it does play a role.

Wtf we had a conversation one or two weeks ago in that very same thread 

Yea it’s interconnected but the it band itself pulls your legs out mainly. The tik tok girl posture aka duckass comes from tight hip flexor and quads because they pull on the front of the pelvis and capsizes it to the front. Weak glutes also make it harder to pull yourself straight. Think of the pelvis as a triangle that flipped over and that’s your main problem and mine too atm

https://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/back/low-back-pain/hyperlordosis

Almost 12cm without it band release is hard. I think you would benefit from an additional one perhaps.

Also a bit unlucky you were in the last set of patients from Betz that did not get it band release before Becker introduced it.

[sixfootandhalf]

Almost unianimously, everyone who has had excellent surgeries from Betz on here, have flown to greece for an iTB release, and have commented on the massive difference and improvement due to the ITB release.

Everyone offers it now, and while stretching will always remain so key, ITB releases are essential once you lengthen higher ammounts. There is just way too much raw data to support this.