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[ReadRothbard]

The number 1 concern I have about the surgery is being able to lift weights after (and if I can continue to get stronger). I'll admit, it's so important that my decision to have surgery rests on this. Athletes like BodyBuilder or Sweden: how long did it take you to go back into the gym after surgery, and did you notice you were able to (eventually) push or pull the same weight--especially on big exercises like squats or deadlifts? This is a super important issue to me, so I can appreciate some input. Thank you.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

I think those two have left.  I had a home weight machine before LL with 150 lbs of plates.  I was able to do leg presses (with the nails in) with all 150 lbs about 8 months after lengthening.  I don't notice any loss of raw strength at this point.

[ReadRothbard]

I know last I checked Sweden was more or less conceding that he fully recovered, as he was picked for some national martial arts championship. However, I didn't realize you did LON?

[Sambollio]

My assumption is that static strength won’t be effected much at all.

[ReadRothbard]

My assumption is that static strength won’t be effected much at all.

My understanding so far is that, beyond a change in leverages, weight lifting is minimally affected--if at all--by leg lengthening.

[eric.cartman]

You levers change quite a bit after LL - your moment arm will be longer and long levers are inefficient for squats. With longer femurs, you'll immediately notice that you can't squat as deep (ass to grass). I'm not yet 100% fully recovered but I'm confident that my raw strength will eventually return to pre-LL level once the nail is removed, but I'm definitely re-learning/adjusting my squat technique quite a bit.

[ReadRothbard]

You levers change quite a bit after LL - your moment arm will be longer and long levers are inefficient for squats. With longer femurs, you'll immediately notice that you can't squat as deep (ass to grass). I'm not yet 100% fully recovered but I'm confident that my raw strength will eventually return to pre-LL level once the nail is removed, but I'm definitely re-learning/adjusting my squat technique quite a bit.

It seems like tibial lengthening shouldn't affect that, though, and switching to low-bar could help shift that pivot point in your favor.

[BelowTheMean]

I can’t do squats or deadlifts at all yet. Both motions produce quite a bit of pain in my femurs. I’m hoping that it’s due to the nails still being inside. My leg muscles are back to the pre-surgery thickness so I imagine it’s not a strength issue.

[ReadRothbard]

I can’t do squats or deadlifts at all yet. Both motions produce quite a bit of pain in my femurs. I’m hoping that it’s due to the nails still being inside. My leg muscles are back to the pre-surgery thickness so I imagine it’s not a strength issue.

Do you think it might have something to do with the Stryde nail itself?

[BelowTheMean]

Do you think it might have something to do with the Stryde nail itself?

I don’t think it’s specific to the Stryde nail issues that led to the recall.  Plenty of people have been able to run and work out their legs with their nails still in. I think my legs must be super sensitive to the nail or screws, or something else along those lines. I really hope it’s not due to the change in biomechanics as that probably wouldn’t be resolved by removing the nails.

[ReadRothbard]

I don’t think it’s specific to the Stryde nail issues that led to the recall.  Plenty of people have been able to run and work out their legs with their nails still in. I think my legs must be super sensitive to the nail or screws, or something else along those lines. I really hope it’s not due to the change in biomechanics as that probably wouldn’t be resolved by removing the nails.

I suspect it's the screws causing soft tissue pain. A biomechanical change isn't going to induce pain.

[BelowTheMean]

I suspect it's the screws causing soft tissue pain. A biomechanical change isn't going to induce pain.

To be more specific, when I do anything that requires strength in my quads or causes an impact to my femurs I feel some level of pain. I can run, but it hurts my legs a lot each time my foot hits the concrete. I can squat, but it hurts my legs a lot when I do the motion. With no weight added, squats just feel uncomfortable. I can go up to 95 lbs before the pain is too much to bear, but the weight still feels very light to me, so it’s not a lack of muscle. My legs are just as thick as before surgery, even with the extra length and I’m pretty active even with the limitations.

I just hope that when the nails come out I can work out my legs without femur pain, otherwise I’ll have some regrets to the surgery.

[ReadRothbard]

To be more specific, when I do anything that requires strength in my quads or causes an impact to my femurs I feel some level of pain. I can run, but it hurts my legs a lot each time my foot hits the concrete. I can squat, but it hurts my legs a lot when I do the motion. With no weight added, squats just feel uncomfortable. I can go up to 95 lbs before the pain is too much to bear, but the weight still feels very light to me, so it’s not a lack of muscle. My legs are just as thick as before surgery, even with the extra length and I’m pretty active even with the limitations.

I just hope that when the nails come out I can work out my legs without femur pain, otherwise I’ll have some regrets to the surgery.

Have you brought this up to your physical therapist? this sounds pretty serious to me.

[BelowTheMean]

Have you brought this up to your physical therapist? this sounds pretty serious to me.

It’s been over a year since I had surgery and I stopped physical therapy a long time ago. I consolidated last October and started trying running and heavy weight bearing activities then. I’ve never been able to do any of that without pain. However, when I brought it up with the doctor, he just said my X-rays were perfect (which they are) and that I shouldn’t be having any problems. Not sure what else I can do aside from nail removal.

It honestly doesn’t affect my day-to-day. I’ve been freediving and snowboarding all winter with no problems. It’s only in the gym that I’m limited.

[ReadRothbard]

It’s been over a year since I had surgery and I stopped physical therapy a long time ago. I consolidated last October and started trying running and heavy weight bearing activities then. I’ve never been able to do any of that without pain. However, when I brought it up with the doctor, he just said my X-rays were perfect (which they are) and that I shouldn’t be having any problems. Not sure what else I can do aside from nail removal.

It honestly doesn’t affect my day-to-day. I’ve been freediving and snowboarding all winter with no problems. It’s only in the gym that I’m limited.

That’s very odd; have you thought about just taking ibu and powering through the pain?

[LLprime3]

I can’t do squats or deadlifts at all yet. Both motions produce quite a bit of pain in my femurs. I’m hoping that it’s due to the nails still being inside. My leg muscles are back to the pre-surgery thickness so I imagine it’s not a strength issue.

I was in the same boat after femur lengthening for over 1 year after the surgery.
Everything was fine, x-ray, flexibility, but there was still pain around the knee muscles when I bent them for something like split suqats, where you move forward while doing squats. When it got better I overdid it by doing something extreme like running without warm up, and then it got worse again due to light injury.

What ultimately helped and made it so that it feels almost like pre-surgery is
going down stairs (1 stair) and going back up (2 stairs) for several minutes. First with no weights, then 2.5kg in each hand, then 5kg each hand.

Your muscles gradually heat up, and it becomes easier like every 2-3 minutes, and after 10-15 minutes you have done a great deal of training for the weak muscles around the knee that usually hurt. 15 min of that is intense cardio workout, and it is aimed at where you need it the most.

After that you can do any exercise without pain, or you stop at that point. Your muscles will be ready for any exercise that previously hurt. You can do some squats that previously hurt or stretch way better than before. The more you do the better.

You need to do this every day for a few weeks until you don't need warm up for any exercise that hurt right now.

[BelowTheMean]

That’s very odd; have you thought about just taking ibu and powering through the pain?

It’s too much pain and painkillers don’t work for it. And this is coming from someone who didn’t feel much surgical or lengthening pain.

I was in the same boat after femur lengthening for over 1 year after the surgery.
Everything was fine, x-ray, flexibility, but there was still pain around the knee muscles when I bent them for something like split suqats, where you move forward while doing squats. When it got better I overdid it by doing something extreme like running without warm up, and then it got worse again due to light injury.

What ultimately helped and made it so that it feels almost like pre-surgery is
going down stairs (1 stair) and going back up (2 stairs) for several minutes. First with no weights, then 2.5kg in each hand, then 5kg each hand.

Your muscles gradually heat up, and it becomes easier like every 2-3 minutes, and after 10-15 minutes you have done a great deal of training for the weak muscles around the knee that usually hurt. 15 min of that is intense cardio workout, and it is aimed at where you need it the most.

After that you can do any exercise without pain, or you stop at that point. Your muscles will be ready for any exercise that previously hurt. You can do some squats that previously hurt or stretch way better than before. The more you do the better.

You need to do this every day for a few weeks until you don't need warm up for any exercise that hurt right now.

Thanks for the tip. I’ll try some stair exercises. Those actually hurt too right now, esp after I’ve worked out my legs, but I can see how they would be targeting the pain point.

[ReadRothbard]

I imagine it has to be the screws, but definitely try the exercises the other user suggested, too.

[LLprime3]

Those actually hurt too right now, esp after I’ve worked out my legs

That is one more reason to do something as simple as going stairs up and down, without and with weights. Something that basic is not supposed to hurt, but I also had sharp intense pain just from walking down one one leg 3 weeks ago. It's gone as of today. This is the third time that I fixed pain like that, and the solution has always been the same: Easy exercises that slowly build up in intensity. I don't challenge the pain anymore as I tried before. The pain has to go away through recovery, not by killing pain nerves.
And the reason for recurring pain was laziness after I fixed it.

I imagine it has to be the screws, but definitely try the exercises the other user suggested, too.

Whenever I suspected the screws or bones to be the issue, I checked how my legs would feel after exercises. Exercises resolve all the issues concerning the muscles. That means if exercises relieve the pain, it had to do with the muscles since a problem with bones or screws would not disappear from exercises.

I had popping noises, pain that felt like bone issues. It all went away after diligent workout as described above. Workout that is building up in difficulty and feels like cardio workout and not body building.

[ReadRothbard]

That is one more reason to do something as simple as going stairs up and down, without and with weights. Something that basic is not supposed to hurt, but I also had sharp intense pain just from walking down one one leg 3 weeks ago. It's gone as of today. This is the third time that I fixed pain like that, and the solution has always been the same: Easy exercises that slowly build up in intensity. I don't challenge the pain anymore as I tried before. The pain has to go away through recovery, not by killing pain nerves.
And the reason for recurring pain was laziness after I fixed it.

Whenever I suspected the screws or bones to be the issue, I checked how my legs would feel after exercises. Exercises resolve all the issues concerning the muscles. That means if exercises relieve the pain, it had to do with the muscles since a problem with bones or screws would not disappear from exercises.

I had popping noises, pain that felt like bone issues. It all went away after diligent workout as described above. Workout that is building up in difficulty and feels like cardio workout and not body building.

That sounds promising, then; it means the pain could be diminished by something as simple as stationary biking during the consolidation period.

[BelowTheMean]

That sounds promising, then; it means the pain could be diminished by something as simple as stationary biking during the consolidation period.

I do a decent amount of stationary biking and elliptical (since I can’t run without pain). Those don’t hurt but they also haven’t improved my leg pain issues.

I don’t think it’s an issue with the screws since I don’t feel pain at my screw sites unless I directly impact them (like falling off a surfboard and landing on my thigh in the sand in shallow water). My pain feels like it’s inside the femur, right above the knee. I don’t know if I can actually feel pain in my bones, so maybe it’s the quad muscle (I certainly hope it is).

[ReadRothbard]

I do a decent amount of stationary biking and elliptical (since I can’t run without pain). Those don’t hurt but they also haven’t improved my leg pain issues.

I don’t think it’s an issue with the screws since I don’t feel pain at my screw sites unless I directly impact them (like falling off a surfboard and landing on my thigh in the sand in shallow water). My pain feels like it’s inside the femur, right above the knee. I don’t know if I can actually feel pain in my bones, so maybe it’s the quad muscle (I certainly hope it is).

Have you tried leg extensions to build up strength there?

[djimbo9]

I wonder about this too. I really wanna do arms/chest even during lengthening while being sat down. I wonder what reality will bring.