Print

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

[loia5tqd001]

I'm doing LLS and opted for correcting my bowed leg at the same time, but I'm subjectively not 100% satisfied with the result. Not sure if it's because I was over-expecting? Is there anything the doctor can do to improve the result in the fixator removal surgery? Here are images of me before the surgery and now (still in the distraction phase). https://imgur.com/a/rX03JAv
I'll post more angles of my legs if it's helpful for diagnosing. Please help!
Thank you!

[AllinStryde]

Hey dude.  Just checking in here to respond to you.  Things are looking great.  You still have your fixators on and distraction is still occurring, as you said.  You won't be able to stand straight up and in perfect form until those frames come off.  And even when they do, due to your tightness and muscle contractures, it will take months to fully get everything all stretched out and back to normal.  I don't think you have a single thing to worry about as far as things physically appearing.  I'm no doctor, and always bring your concerns to your doctor.  I am a former CLL...and it takes a very long time for all those soft tissues to feel back to normal...although I am speaking from a femoral lengthening, as opposed to the tib/fib.  I think you'll be just fine dude.  Best of luck!!

[loia5tqd001]

Thanks a lot, dude. I'm just feeling my knees are looking weird, probably I'm overthinking. Yes I did bring my concerns to my doctor and he told me that they're looking fine but I was suspecting lol, especially when comparing with other patients who have the result that I desire but don't have (.

[zaozari]

I'm doing LLS and opted for correcting my bowed leg at the same time, but I'm subjectively not 100% satisfied with the result. Not sure if it's because I was over-expecting? Is there anything the doctor can do to improve the result in the fixator removal surgery? Here are images of me before the surgery and now (still in the distraction phase). https://imgur.com/a/rX03JAv
I'll post more angles of my legs if it's helpful for diagnosing. Please help!
Thank you!

Of course you will cure that slight bowed leg! (at least anatomically, just don't know if exactly 100%).
Only if there were excepcional issues ocorring, like a deep bone infection, the treatment could be more difficult, but you don't mention any disease symptom at all.

You just need to be assured your doctor is competent and minimally experienced and dedicated.
The worst thing that can happen is if you have to insert a third fixator more or less between the current two.

[loia5tqd001]

Thanks mate. But in this topic, I only care about bowleg. The doctor told me that if I have any concerns, tell him before the fixator removal surgery, and he'll make any adjustments then. I'm gathering my knowledge around this topic so that I can discuss with him properly, probably that's the purpose of this post lah.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

Looks OK to me.  It will probably look less bowed when you can have a narrower stance.  You can't put your feet close together now because the frames are in the way. 

Here I am, you can see the difference the stance can make.

https://ibb.co/WDCgF1q

And if you prefer straighter legs (mine are exceptionally straight now) that can definitely happen with an Ilizarov fixator.

[loia5tqd001]

> You can't put your feet close together now because the frames are in the way

Yeah, but if the frames are removed, my last chance of fixing anything will also go away lol.

> mine are exceptionally straight

Wow really? Sure your legs are what I desire lol, but I thought that was the norm. Did I expect too high?

> if you prefer straighter legs

Sure I do

> that can definitely happen with an Ilizarov fixator

Does that mean a different separate surgery? :/ I only have another shot of my current frame removal surgery to fix anything lah.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

The heart wants what it wants.  If you prefer straigher-than-average legs like mine you can get them.  It involves lengthening the medial rods more and/or retracting the lateral rods while the legs are still broken.

There was actually a fellow patient in Beijing who was concerned the doctors were straightening the patients' legs too much.  He showed them studies and convinced them to deliberately put a "natural" bow in his legs.  He got a few followers in his movement as well, but as he was a layperson I decided to trust Dr. Xia's way of doing things.

[loia5tqd001]

Thanks for you input. I feel like I have "rotational deformity", not "angular deformity", not sure if it's correct? :/

Here is my x-ray https://imgur.com/LomJwnj

I feel like my tibia x-ray looks fine, but there's something wrong with the knee lah

[Medium Drink Of Water]

I'm not sure.  Best to ask someone with more knowledge.

[loia5tqd001]

Thank you anyway ^^

[zaozari]

Thanks mate. But in this topic, I only care about bowleg. The doctor told me that if I have any concerns, tell him before the fixator removal surgery, and he'll make any adjustments then. I'm gathering my knowledge around this topic so that I can discuss with him properly, probably that's the purpose of this post lah.

Sorry for trying to help and encourage you.
But I only talked about bowleg, don't understand your "sorry but". The possible need or usefulness of third fixator, to approach more a real versatile Ilizarov mechanism, was in some way repeated by another user.

As a matter of fact, I didn't want to scare you but the curved zone of the legs doesn't have any fixator in an ideal position to create counter-tension and better shape the (long) bone. There wasn't any initial planning to really correct and avoid bowleg. Only lenghtening seems to have been considered.

[HeightGain]

In the first photo there looks femoral anteversion, but that could just be the way you're standing. Was that measured pre surgery?

[LLprime3]

In the first photo there looks femoral anteversion, but that could just be the way you're standing. Was that measured pre surgery?

Exactly my thoughts.
His legs look like mine before I did LL.
Having bow legs and femoral anteversion.
Your femures are naturally inward rotated, but it's overshadowed visually, and probably compensated by the bow legs.
If you had straighter Tibias, but you keep on standing the way you have always done, just like i the picture, with your legs roated inwardly, you will/would look like a girl who is standing cute with knees touching each other and the legs looking like x-legs.

Like this
https://i.imgur.com/NHwEhMK.png

And to not look like this you would need to outward rotate your femurs which is very difficult with femoral anteversion.

Basically if a person has bow legs like that and femoral anteversion, both need to be fixed, otherwise you will a lot more visibly walk with that inward rotation after having straight lower legs but still femoral anteversion.

There is this test for femoral anteversion one can do to find out the extend of the deformity.

[loia5tqd001]

> The possible need or usefulness of third fixator, to approach more a real versatile Ilizarov mechanism, was in some way repeated by another user
If there's a link to those information, would be very helpful lah. Thank you in advance.

> I didn't want to scare you but the curved zone of the legs doesn't have any fixator in an ideal position to create counter-tension and better shape the (long) bone
Sorry English isn't my first language so I couldn't seem to get your main point here. would be helpful if you can rephrase in a simpler term lah. Thank you in advance again lol

> There wasn't any initial planning to really correct and avoid bowleg. Only lenghtening seems to have been considered.
Actually I did pay extra for correcting my bowleg. But yeah there wasn't any discussion on planning between me and the doctor, only the doctor did his job. A lot of other patients did have their desired results though, seems like only me not yet. The doctor told me that because my case was more severe than the others so it would take 2 times of correcting (frame installation + frame removal) instead of 1 like others, however he didn't tell me how he would do it the next time and probably if I don't remind him he will even forget it. And I don't want to trust him blindly the next time, because I've seen some cases of correcting bowleg from him (only bowleg correction, no lengthening) and I feel still there's rotational deformity remains even though angular deformity has been fixed: https://imgur.com/i6uFAAt
(the terms rotational deformity and angular deformity I got from Dr Lee site: https://drdonghoon.com/deformity/rotational-deformity/)
Indeed all of his cases have the result I desire are angular deformity only :/

[loia5tqd001]

> In the first photo there looks femoral anteversion
Eh, I also think so, probably that's why I feel my legs aren't corrected yet

> Was that measured pre surgery?
The hospital did some x-ray but I'm not sure about the detail. probably femoral anteversion wasn't taken into consideration because as I remember they only did x-ray for my tibias :/

[loia5tqd001]

Exactly my thoughts.
His legs look like mine before I did LL.
Having bow legs and femoral anteversion.
Your femures are naturally inward rotated, but it's overshadowed visually, and probably compensated by the bow legs.
If you had straighter Tibias, but you keep on standing the way you have always done, just like i the picture, with your legs roated inwardly, you will/would look like a girl who is standing cute with knees touching each other and the legs looking like x-legs.

Like this
https://i.imgur.com/NHwEhMK.png

And to not look like this you would need to outward rotate your femurs which is very difficult with femoral anteversion.

Basically if a person has bow legs like that and femoral anteversion, both need to be fixed, otherwise you will a lot more visibly walk with that inward rotation after having straight lower legs but still femoral anteversion.

There is this test for femoral anteversion one can do to find out the extend of the deformity.

That's sadly to hear but exactly what I thought though :/ I'm planning to do the femur lengthening as well but only in 2 years. I'm trying to fix the lower legs for now and the upper legs will be fixed in 2 years, and I don't want my lower legs to be broken again in order to fix properly then :/

Btw I'm very curious how your legs look like pre and post surgery lah, thank you if you can provide some images here, of course only if you don't mind.

[zaozari]

> The possible need or usefulness of third fixator, to approach more a real versatile Ilizarov mechanism, was in some way repeated by another user
If there's a link to those information, would be very helpful lah. Thank you in advance.

> I didn't want to scare you but the curved zone of the legs doesn't have any fixator in an ideal position to create counter-tension and better shape the (long) bone
Sorry English isn't my first language so I couldn't seem to get your main point here. would be helpful if you can rephrase in a simpler term lah. Thank you in advance again lol

> There wasn't any initial planning to really correct and avoid bowleg. Only lenghtening seems to have been considered.
Actually I did pay extra for correcting my bowleg. But yeah there wasn't any discussion on planning between me and the doctor, only the doctor did his job. A lot of other patients did have their desired results though, seems like only me not yet. The doctor told me that because my case was more severe than the others so it would take 2 times of correcting (frame installation + frame removal) instead of 1 like others, however he didn't tell me how he would do it the next time and probably if I don't remind him he will even forget it. And I don't want to trust him blindly the next time, because I've seen some cases of correcting bowleg from him (only bowleg correction, no lengthening) and I feel still there's rotational deformity remains even though angular deformity has been fixed: https://imgur.com/i6uFAAt
(the terms rotational deformity and angular deformity I got from Dr Lee site: https://drdonghoon.com/deformity/rotational-deformity/)
Indeed all of his cases have the result I desire are angular deformity only :/

Maybe I'm too sensitive today but look for the link about the Ilizarov and third ring fixator yourself,  or just read MDOW immediatly above again. Information and pros and cons of all fixators have several threads and thousands of posts before, during and after surgery, with or without leg deformities, in this forum. Write "bowlegs" in the "search" field and do your research, as I did and I'm still doing (it was actually when I discovered recently I had bowlegs MYSELF).

Next time ask for more surgeons' opinions before surgery to at least look at your femurs.

Good luck and best of health.

[HeightGain]

You need to plan your femur and tibia together. If you have anteversion, correcting that will affect your tibia position. I've normally seen CT done for rotational defects

[Golden]

Looks OK to me.  It will probably look less bowed when you can have a narrower stance.  You can't put your feet close together now because the frames are in the way. 

Here I am, you can see the difference the stance can make.

https://ibb.co/WDCgF1q

And if you prefer straighter legs (mine are exceptionally straight now) that can definitely happen with an Ilizarov fixator.

Hey bud,

Can you reupload it again if possible? Also, is using pure external fixation can fix bowlegs and get them straight like yours? But I read a post of you before and it looks like you used a nail as well, that was the LON or LATN method?

Thank you