Print

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

[Growth.journey]

Thank you Lim lengthening warrior this is great advice I think the bath is a great tip I’m at I’m still at the hospital so there is no bath available but when I get back to my home country I will definitely be having a lot of baths to get around this at the hospital I’ve been having a lot of showers like three or four per day because the warm water really loosens up the muscles I always have a warm shower before I do my my clicks.

As an update on my clicking I think I’ve found a technique that works for me finally after so much trial and error the bad technique that Danny teaches it’s okay but it didn’t work super well for me because I had to try so many different positions and twist my knee a lot and shift my body weight around that it didn’t hurt in of itself but the fact that I had to try semi positions to find the click which was really difficult for me meant that my muscles were sore my knee was sore etc so I found a much better technique for me was the one that gets his straight to the motion that you need for the click and for me that is the one in Betz videos which is the one where you are lying down you have your foot in the air and you’re holding one your left hand is holding your ankle or your shin and your right hand is holding any and then you slowly twist the lower leg outward  until you feel a click.

I thought this motion would be very uncomfortable and it is it feels quite a natural but as I said before I get you to the the the motion straight away so if you don’t feel pain from your muscles then it’s a great technique now I did this and I have my left leg I was able to get a click really really easy and then I did 20 clicks in like less than five minutes it was amazing I was so happy so relieved unfortunately my right leg I was still having a lot of problems the technique originally didn’t work for me on my right leg I couldn’t get the bed technique to work on my right leg I had done 10 clicks today using the Danny method on the bed but it was now 3 pm and I hadn’t finished the rest of my 10 clicks cause I’ve been busy at like the gym and getting x-rays and other things and I was feeling very stressed out.

The issue is for whatever reason my right leg in order to get the click requires almost a 90° twist where is my left leg only requires like a 45 or 50 maybe 60° twist which is much easier I can twist my right leg 6070° but as soon as you start going more than that it becomes my muscles my muscles start feeling stretched in fact I pulled my quad trying to get the click it was very difficult painful frustrating and scary. What if I couldn’t click. So then in desperation I tried a slightly different technique I put the bed all the way down so I was lying on my back and I put my stretch band around my knee and held up my leg so it was dangling in the air so that way I could just focus on the twisting motion this is a great tip it really allows you to focus on the angle arm  and I finally did it I got to the point of basically pain or uncomfort and I kept pushing and pushing and pushing and finally I got the click I was such a big relief it’s really uncomfortable process but at least I know I can do it now and I have a technique that works which is a huge huge relief for me but yeah clicking is a really really unpleasant process I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone but unfortunately we have to do it magnetism causes corrosion as we know from other devices so if you want to live in length and this is what you have to do  the whole time I was doing it I was thinking of my girlfriend at home I said I’m doing this for you I don’t wanna be stuck here in this other country I want to come home to you I’m gonna fight through this I’m gonna do it for you and I did it so this is a huge relief for me to end the day and gives me confidence that I finally have a solution.

Apologies for any spelling mistakes above I am using my voice typing tool.

[sixfootandhalf]

Your journey is so Inspiring!

I am so glad you found the right technique! How do you know if you're not pushing too much to bend / break something? But what a relief it must be. Where is the pain coming from exactly, and how bad is it out of ten?

Did you get an ITB release with Dr Betz? Was this ITB release the same as any other ITB release? I heard ITB release should cause major relief of any pain.

You are already doing so well. My Surgery will be sometime next year, and i am so nervous, but Dr Betz is a good man, and i trust him personally. He is utterly passionate in what he does, and the team around him are fantastic.

His stadiometer i think might be 1-2cm less in measuring. If you are 173cm and measured 171, it's likely the stadiometer. I also had a bit of a shock as i have obsessively measured and hit at least 174/174.5cm evening height (12 hours after waking/walking around etc) but it measured me at 173cm!

[OzBoy39]

Hi Growthjourney,

Great to hear that you find that twisting technique working. I had a very similar story with clicking where with the initial "conventional" technique it was hard to find the click.

One piece of advice that helped me tremendously to achieve a super easy clicking.

So, when I started this technique with the leg dangling, I was still having to twist one leg (the left one for me) almost 90 degrees before the click. It was doable but that put some strain on my knee.

Since then, because the right leg instead required perhaps 30degrees to click, I thought... These nails aren't dissimilar in design. If one is 30 degrees the other must be the same.

So i actually noticed that because of the angle of the lower part of my leg, the 90 degree rotation of the lower leg weren't translating to a 90 degree rotation of the "lower part of the quad" leg  which is the one that twists. Do you get what I mean?

My lower leg was yes twisting a lot, but because the angle compared to my lower leg was big (like 100 or 110 degrees i estimate), and because I wasn't actually squared to the portion of the leg above the knee which is the one attached to the rotator part of the nail, it then required the much angle in order to click.

If you want t try something, next time you click, look at your femur, hold your lower leg at about 90 degrees and start twisting gently.

Notice how the quad rotates. Picture the nail inside your femur and make sure that "the portion of leg right above the knee" is actually rotating around the femur axis. You can get a sense of that if you look at the quad while doing it. Adjust both segments of your leg as you see (feel) necessary

See if it works. It helped me basically bring back the rotation to soemthing that looks like 30 degrees. Not even 45.

Cheers

[Growth.journey]

Six foot and a half:

- good luck for your surgery next year
- I was worried like you at the beginning of breaking the nail or a screw but once you are actually walking around on it and you see how strong it is I’m not really worried. When you are stretching at extreme angles I think the main concern is pulling a muscle but fortunately i have only done that once so far, it clicks before you get there (but past the point of comfort)
- betz does soft iT band release which is basically making small cuts in itb. He does this for all new patients , I think it is a new thing, because every patient asked him for it. I’m glad I got it but not sure it is the same as a full it band release or not.
- betz is very passionate and good but he will appear very caring in the interview but you won’t hear from him much after that. You will get responses from Dani and Becker (thouhh I still haven’t met Becker)
- you might be right about stadiometer, or alternatively maybe other measures are overstating height. Either way there are too many caveats like night / morning, shoes no shoes, whether you are standing up straight, how close your legs are together and how the user is measuring the height ie are they pushing it down on your head.
- it has been a tough process so far, hope you are mentally ready.

OZboy:
- hope your journey is going well for you. How many cm now?
- thanks for your advice on clicking, it is much appreciated. I think I kind of understand but just to make sure, are you saying that the extreme rotation of the tibia is because I am not rotating the knee/ lower femur enough? For example on the right leg I should focus on trying to gently pull the knee inwards at the same time as the tibia rotation and therefore this will mean less rotation of tibia is actually required to achieve the click?
- thanks for your help
-

[OzBoy39]

OZboy:
- hope your journey is going well for you. How many cm now?
- thanks for your advice on clicking, it is much appreciated. I think I kind of understand but just to make sure, are you saying that the extreme rotation of the tibia is because I am not rotating the knee/ lower femur enough? For example on the right leg I should focus on trying to gently pull the knee inwards at the same time as the tibia rotation and therefore this will mean less rotation of tibia is actually required to achieve the click?
- thanks for your help
-

Hey GrowthJourney,
All good overall here through many ups and downs. I'm today at 4cms.

Regarding your question. Yes, exactly as you said. I use the knee as a reference.. as a pivot.point and yes I use my opposite leg ony knew to try and keep that pivot point "aligned" with the femur to achieve proper rotation. Harder to explain in words than doing it but I think you got the gist. Try it out see if it helps.
And yes to me it meant much less rotation. I eyeball 30ndegrees roughly.

[djimbo9]

Fully agree that hell on earth is called clicking. It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me, no exaggeration. I'm 2 and a half months post op and I truly regret it. Everyday is a horror movie because I know I have to click. Clicking hasn't given me a day's rest since August. On top of that, I have wide legs, my walk is  , my sleep is  , my mood is  , all my other stuff on the side are suffering because of this too (work and etc). Not to mention I'm 70k poorer too. If this clicking hell and the horrible walk aren't enough, don't forget you have to stretch 3-5 hours a day. I thought it would be terrible but not this terrible. Everytime I go outside, I'm hoping a car smashes me on the pavement to save me from all of this. To anyone reading this and contemplating LL, don't do it. Height insoles, boots, whatever. Don't put yourself through this medieval torture where every second is hell. Before doing it, I was seeing these people advising others it's not worth it and thinking to myself ''yeah whatever as if I can't endure a few months of pain''. Now I'm being punished for my stupidity. Good luck to the poster and hope he has it better than me because even as the pessimist I am, I could have never imagined it going so badly.

[leonazul99]

Keep going man!  I went with Betz in June

[thankscience]

Fully agree that hell on earth is called clicking. It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me, no exaggeration. I'm 2 and a half months post op and I truly regret it. Everyday is a horror movie because I know I have to click. Clicking hasn't given me a day's rest since August. On top of that, I have wide legs, my walk is  , my sleep is  , my mood is  , all my other stuff on the side are suffering because of this too (work and etc). Not to mention I'm 70k poorer too. If this clicking hell and the horrible walk aren't enough, don't forget you have to stretch 3-5 hours a day. I thought it would be terrible but not this terrible. Everytime I go outside, I'm hoping a car smashes me on the pavement to save me from all of this. To anyone reading this and contemplating LL, don't do it. Height insoles, boots, whatever. Don't put yourself through this medieval torture where every second is hell. Before doing it, I was seeing these people advising others it's not worth it and thinking to myself ''yeah whatever as if I can't endure a few months of pain''. Now I'm being punished for my stupidity. Good luck to the poster and hope he has it better than me because even as the pessimist I am, I could have never imagined it going so badly.

I believe you went home early though during the lengthening period, so it would be more difficult for you

[sixfootandhalf]

Fully agree that hell on earth is called clicking. It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me, no exaggeration. I'm 2 and a half months post op and I truly regret it. Everyday is a horror movie because I know I have to click. Clicking hasn't given me a day's rest since August. On top of that, I have wide legs, my walk is  , my sleep is  , my mood is  , all my other stuff on the side are suffering because of this too (work and etc). Not to mention I'm 70k poorer too. If this clicking hell and the horrible walk aren't enough, don't forget you have to stretch 3-5 hours a day. I thought it would be terrible but not this terrible. Everytime I go outside, I'm hoping a car smashes me on the pavement to save me from all of this. To anyone reading this and contemplating LL, don't do it. Height insoles, boots, whatever. Don't put yourself through this medieval torture where every second is hell. Before doing it, I was seeing these people advising others it's not worth it and thinking to myself ''yeah whatever as if I can't endure a few months of pain''. Now I'm being punished for my stupidity. Good luck to the poster and hope he has it better than me because even as the pessimist I am, I could have never imagined it going so badly.

Did you get a soft , or a proper ITB release?

[Growth.journey]

@Djimbo - really sorry to hear that. Sounds like a really rough time, but sounds like from your other posts you are almost done with it as well. Can i suggest maybe speaking to a psychologist? Hope things get better.

@ozboy - thanks for your tips. Clicking is still hard for me but i get through it. I have trouble finding the 1st click on each leg, i have to keep stretching constantly and build up to it, then push to the point of discomfort and i often stop and rest, then build up to it again. Eventually i get the click and its relatively easy after that. but it seems to take me like 15-20 mins each leg to get that first click, its really tiring. I hate that 1st click. Any other tips?

@6 foot and half - if he was with betz then he probably would have got soft release.

[Growth.journey]

Update - 26 days post surgery

I haven't posted here much since getting back. I've just been focussing on getting back to life and developing a routine.

It was such an overwhelming relief to be back in my country. It really makes you appreciate little things. But i also had a sinking feeling that if i couldn't get my clicking right from so far away i would be in trouble and i had absolutely no intention of flying back.

Everything feels surreal coming back to daily life, but i had the best sleep of my entire trip. The familiarity brings a lot of comfort. The next challenge is making sure you can do the clicks and building up a routine around this as well.

I started WFH pretty much 2 days after arriving. So i only had limited time to figure out how and when i would do clicking, drugs, exercise stretching and all that. There is a lot of trial and error. I did my clicks at home and fortunately it was ok. I signed up for my local gym and started working out there similar to physio overseas.

I've decided my process will be going to the gym early in the morning, doing my clicks there, getting a little bit of a workout in then coming home and working from home for 8 hours, whilst stretching throughout the day. Then after work maybe go for a walk in the pool, go to gym or rest.

There's a lot of basic things which are simple normally but hard without help. like shopping, cooking, washing etc. Hopefully you have someone to help you, otherwise its very difficult. I've also noticed people on the street and in my neighbourhood are a lot nicer as they see you on crutches.

Overall, my mornings suck. The clicks are taking a really long time, probably because its early morning and not warmed up properly, plus im doing it immediately after a bath which warms up the muscles. but this is how i want to do it. So it takes me like 30 mins of warmup exercise like bike and machines. Then i stretch for 20 mins. Then i do clicks, and it takes me maybe 15-20 mins each leg to get the first click. Then it takes me about 20 mins each leg to finish the clicks. Then i do a warmdown sesion. Overall this takes a really long time to do and hence why i need to wake up super early to get all this done. but it allows me to get the   stuff out of the way first thing and the rest of my day is pretty good and my spirits are high. But yeah mornings really suck.

My approach for clicks at the gym are, get a stretch mat, get a bounce ball and lie against it, get my stretch band and hold up my leg, use my other arm to twist my tibia. With the stretch band i try to rotate my lower knee as well, so you have each arm going in a different direction. Recently i've realised to go a bit faster, but not too fast. i think before i was going too slow and i was hitting that point where you;re just about to click, but i wasn't pushing it and i hit discomfort and stopped. But now im kind of pushing trhough it to get their faster to get the click and the relief. But i think if you go too fast you risk tensing up and then you get pain, so its a balance of staying calm and relaxed but also not taking too long. It's slightly different for the first click because i think i kind of have to warm up the muscles first so i kind of do increasing movements and restting clicks and gradually increasing swing/movement, then eventually once i've warmed up (maybe 15 mins) then i go for the full click. Unfortunately there is usually 1 or 2 where i go right to the point of discomfort and stop and then it hurts more, but i feel like maybe for the first click i can't push too hard or i actually will hurt/sprain, whereas later when im warmed up i can push and its fine. It's a weird feeling to describe but thats my gut feeling, let me know if you have any tips or a different view.

My sleep is decent, only typically waking up maybe 1-2 times per night. I usually just save 1 painkiller from nighttime and take it in the middle of the night if needed. If im really bad and stiff ill take a shower in the middle of the night.

Overall my walking is good, no duckass or widelegs. My stetching is good. My emotions are good (except for mornings). overall im happy but it feels like a major marathon, wheras the initial hospital felt like a sprint. You also have down moments, sometimes when you are feeling useless or have pain and you just feel   about it, or in the morning or night when thinking about morning, but for most of the day im happy and that goes a long way. We are going into spring too and the weather is beautiful, sun is shining and birds are chirping, which really helps with elevating my mood. I also think after the pain in the morning, the highs thereafter are extra high.

Overall i've lengthened 2.3cm which isnt much, i can't really tell the height difference at all. But i'll keep going and take it day by day. I really hope clicking gets easier, especially on the first click. i've read in old forums the clicking starts to get easier. Does this happen after a certain length like 3cm? and is it because the nail is longer therefore easier to extend? or is it because people just improve their technique?

Also when is duckass meant to start? I haven't got anything yet but would be good to know so i can keep an eye on it. I haven't gone to physio yet, but I've booked one for next week. honestly i think gym, stretching, walking and hydrotherapy are more important than going to a physio who just teaches you stretches you already know. but ill give it a shot.

I have a lot of baths as it eases my muscles and pain. Hopefully you have a bathtub too.

Overall, if it wasn't for clicking it would be a great process, but its manageable. Will give you an update later.
- Let me know when clicking gets easier and why
- When duckass/widelegs often starts
- Any other tips for clicking, particularly for the 1st click (like should i take an extra muscle relaxer at the gym to help? i might try this)

[Limbfan2020]

Hi Growth.journey,

are you still on anticoagulant therapy? Which drugs do you take at the moment?

All the best!

[Taller90]

Update - 26 days post surgery

I haven't posted here much since getting back. I've just been focussing on getting back to life and developing a routine.

It was such an overwhelming relief to be back in my country. It really makes you appreciate little things. But i also had a sinking feeling that if i couldn't get my clicking right from so far away i would be in trouble and i had absolutely no intention of flying back.

Everything feels surreal coming back to daily life, but i had the best sleep of my entire trip. The familiarity brings a lot of comfort. The next challenge is making sure you can do the clicks and building up a routine around this as well.

I started WFH pretty much 2 days after arriving. So i only had limited time to figure out how and when i would do clicking, drugs, exercise stretching and all that. There is a lot of trial and error. I did my clicks at home and fortunately it was ok. I signed up for my local gym and started working out there similar to physio overseas.

I've decided my process will be going to the gym early in the morning, doing my clicks there, getting a little bit of a workout in then coming home and working from home for 8 hours, whilst stretching throughout the day. Then after work maybe go for a walk in the pool, go to gym or rest.

There's a lot of basic things which are simple normally but hard without help. like shopping, cooking, washing etc. Hopefully you have someone to help you, otherwise its very difficult. I've also noticed people on the street and in my neighbourhood are a lot nicer as they see you on crutches.

Overall, my mornings suck. The clicks are taking a really long time, probably because its early morning and not warmed up properly, plus im doing it immediately after a bath which warms up the muscles. but this is how i want to do it. So it takes me like 30 mins of warmup exercise like bike and machines. Then i stretch for 20 mins. Then i do clicks, and it takes me maybe 15-20 mins each leg to get the first click. Then it takes me about 20 mins each leg to finish the clicks. Then i do a warmdown sesion. Overall this takes a really long time to do and hence why i need to wake up super early to get all this done. but it allows me to get the   stuff out of the way first thing and the rest of my day is pretty good and my spirits are high. But yeah mornings really suck.

My approach for clicks at the gym are, get a stretch mat, get a bounce ball and lie against it, get my stretch band and hold up my leg, use my other arm to twist my tibia. With the stretch band i try to rotate my lower knee as well, so you have each arm going in a different direction. Recently i've realised to go a bit faster, but not too fast. i think before i was going too slow and i was hitting that point where you;re just about to click, but i wasn't pushing it and i hit discomfort and stopped. But now im kind of pushing trhough it to get their faster to get the click and the relief. But i think if you go too fast you risk tensing up and then you get pain, so its a balance of staying calm and relaxed but also not taking too long. It's slightly different for the first click because i think i kind of have to warm up the muscles first so i kind of do increasing movements and restting clicks and gradually increasing swing/movement, then eventually once i've warmed up (maybe 15 mins) then i go for the full click. Unfortunately there is usually 1 or 2 where i go right to the point of discomfort and stop and then it hurts more, but i feel like maybe for the first click i can't push too hard or i actually will hurt/sprain, whereas later when im warmed up i can push and its fine. It's a weird feeling to describe but thats my gut feeling, let me know if you have any tips or a different view.

My sleep is decent, only typically waking up maybe 1-2 times per night. I usually just save 1 painkiller from nighttime and take it in the middle of the night if needed. If im really bad and stiff ill take a shower in the middle of the night.

Overall my walking is good, no duckass or widelegs. My stetching is good. My emotions are good (except for mornings). overall im happy but it feels like a major marathon, wheras the initial hospital felt like a sprint. You also have down moments, sometimes when you are feeling useless or have pain and you just feel   about it, or in the morning or night when thinking about morning, but for most of the day im happy and that goes a long way. We are going into spring too and the weather is beautiful, sun is shining and birds are chirping, which really helps with elevating my mood. I also think after the pain in the morning, the highs thereafter are extra high.

Overall i've lengthened 2.3cm which isnt much, i can't really tell the height difference at all. But i'll keep going and take it day by day. I really hope clicking gets easier, especially on the first click. i've read in old forums the clicking starts to get easier. Does this happen after a certain length like 3cm? and is it because the nail is longer therefore easier to extend? or is it because people just improve their technique?

Also when is duckass meant to start? I haven't got anything yet but would be good to know so i can keep an eye on it. I haven't gone to physio yet, but I've booked one for next week. honestly i think gym, stretching, walking and hydrotherapy are more important than going to a physio who just teaches you stretches you already know. but ill give it a shot.

I have a lot of baths as it eases my muscles and pain. Hopefully you have a bathtub too.

Overall, if it wasn't for clicking it would be a great process, but its manageable. Will give you an update later.
- Let me know when clicking gets easier and why
- When duckass/widelegs often starts
- Any other tips for clicking, particularly for the 1st click (like should i take an extra muscle relaxer at the gym to help? i might try this)

Keep strong, we all know it is a hard journey you are going through but it is worth!

Regarding your questions:
1. In my case it got easier after 3-4 cm before that it took me 1 hour intensive stretching and 1 Hour clicking.
2. I got strong duckass after 4-5 cm. I Never had strong wide legs but I wasnt able to cross them during lenghtening. Now 50 days post clicking I am back to normal. However, i believe this might apply but does not have to do for everyone as everybody is different. I for example only had Betz regular soft release and have done almost 11cm without any Problems.
3. I dont have any trick. It is really try and error. You need to find a workaround which fits best for you.

Hope that helps

[Growth.journey]

Hi all as an update I have just passed 3cm.

Things are going well.

I have mastered the clicking technique and clicking is becoming a breeze. I do it every morning in the gym. I warm up for 30 mins then click for 30-40 mins and I’m done. I am to get this down even further. Maybe 20 mins warm up and 20 mins total clicking. Clicking is painless but it is still tiring and hard, but it’s only 5% as hard as it was. I no longer dread going to sleep to click on the morning, it’s just another task. I owe a lot of thanks to OZboy for his tips on the clicking, it definitely helped me and I know how to do it well with the jangling leg technique.

I have a good routine now and I am working hard on gym, pool walking, stretching , massage and physio, although working 8+ hours a day makes it hard to find time to do as much stretching as I should. Consequently I am starting to feel more stiff and my IT band is feeling quite right, but yet I have no duckass or wide legs yet, just stiffness. Although when I’ve been sitting down for a while when I first get up I’m kind of stopped over until I stretch out my tight body.

I don’t feel a lot taller yet, though I’ve had a few moments going oh wow I’m taller, but it hasn’t really come yet. Thomas the driver said I start to fee it after 5cm - what are others experience? When did you start to feel tall and notice the difference!

My biggest worry is no longer clicking it’s stiffness, it band , duck ass and tight legs coming for me! Any good it band stretches that people can share that really helped? The tightness is really
Uncomfortable sometimes, particularly given I am working from home and sitting many times due to it.

I’m open to questions in my forum now as I don’t think there will be many updates from now , just more of the same stuff and a marathon run form 3cm to 8cm. Wish me luck

[Bagga]

Are you walking normally without any support?

[Moonrise]

Hi

I am really impressed by your posts.
I have meeting with doctor Bitz on 23.11.22 for consultation.
I am male, 168cm height, 37 yrs old.
They told me next available surgery will be on March 2023.

I have a question for you, when did you start to walk without crutches and for how many meters you can walk without them?

[OzBoy39]

I’m open to questions in my forum now as I don’t think there will be many updates from now , just more of the same stuff and a marathon run form 3cm to 8cm. Wish me luck

Thanks for the mention. Happy I could be of help.
Man, you're gonna feel it at 5cm for sure. I giggle (can't help it) everytime I meet somebody I knew and notice that I'm now even or slightly taller.

[Growth.journey]

Hi Moonrise (& baga)

Wow such a long booking time / 6 months. I can imagine it will only get longer as betz steps back , so few options in market and high demand for the services . Plus positive diaries of late can only help. Good luck. To answer your questions , I can walk short distances without crutches but I prefer not to do it. I know of others who ditched their crutches a few months after but I would recommend it.

OZboy - thanks again and looking forward to hitting 5cm! At 0.75mm per day I should hit it mid November. How’s your journey going? Are yo back in oz? Would you have chosen betz or gnail if you could do it again?

[OzBoy39]

Yes, back in Oz.
It feels great. It's good to be away from all those crippled (lol...joking).

I'm doing great. The change in lifestyle, the new challenges to trying to get back to normal life (but with crutches) are making time fly by relatively quick.

I'm also in the process of briefing my GP (done yesterday) about the procedure I've been through and soon I'll go meet the new PT. Starting hydrotherapy and back to the gym.

Still slacking a bit on the work front.

I'm happy with the G-nail still. Never had an issue with clicking. I don't think is that different from the Betz nail. Probably the approach the 2 doctors have is (Betz and Giotikas). I was super happy with Giotikas perhaps more conservative approach and full after care, but it sounds that also many Betz patients are doing just fine.

Man, I think overall they're 2 perfectly valid options. I personally also enjoyed the Greek weather this time of year so, yeah if I had to do it again, I would still choose the G-nail in Greece.

But to be honest, once I'm done with this thing, I don't wanna see an operating table, crutches, pills and what not for a loooonnnngg time.

[Growth.journey]

Update, just under 4cm (3.8cm). I've been doing 15 clicks for sometime now (0.78mm per day)

Excited to hit 4-5cm.
Everything is going well. No duckass or widelegs. My muscles are quite tight but i bought a foam roller and a massage gun, which are great investments, i'd recommend. I am going to the gym everyday and walking in the pool every 2nd day. I am only going to physio once a week as i didnt think it was super helpful, he just gives me a massage, but ill maybe look to increase this to 2 days a week.
My sleep is decent but i still get up 3-4 times per night and have to roll around. That being said, im sleeping from about 9.30pm to 5.30am most days so probably like 7-8 hours after you take into account getting up etc, but its not deep sleep either.
Taking a lot of baths during the day and working in there, i am still working 8 hours or more per day, but i just rotate positions like standing up, stretching, sitting down, bathtub, outside etc.
My IT band is tight but not as as tight as before, just get random aches, stiffness and pains throughout the day but its bearable.
I will get my first xray since coming back next week.
Clicking in my left leg is an absolute dream. Its so easy now, i get it done in literally ten minutes or less and it almost feels good to do. So happy with that leg.

 
My only issue, which seems to have arisen in the last 2-3 days is that my right quad seems to have become very tight. So that means when i start twisting my leg for the clicking, i get to a tension point in my quad that feels like pain and then i stop. It's kind of middle/lower quad and adductor, its not super painful i just am scared of pushing through pain and tear the muscle so i stop at the point, massage my quad in the pain area until the tension releases, then i can keep doing this until its 'warmed up'. Its not crazy difficult or painful (like 3/10) but it just takes a long time to do because i have to warm up for much much longer (by comparison i barely need to warm up my left) and clicking on my right has a lot more resistance, like i need way more physical exertion to twist my leg and any discomfort/time cost from that.

Today it took me about 45 mins to an hour on my right leg including warmup. My left leg took 10 mins. I'm fairly certain the issue is a tight quadricep as the clicking gets easier after massaging the quad whilst rotating.

I need you guys' help with this:
- Is this a common problem?
- What do you think is causing it? Is it just the muscle reaching its limit and just needs to 'break through'?
- Is it something that will probably go away soon as I either stretch the muscle more or the nail lengthens and gets easier?
- Do you have any tips for addressing it, e.g. using massage gun whilst clicking, getting a thai massage on the quad,  loads of stretching, reducing clicks temporarily etc.
- Should i be doing more strength training (leg ext/leg press/bike) or should i be giving my muscles a rest instead? As i am doing them but lightly (bike 20 mins everyday, leg workout if i have time every 2-3 days before or after clicking)

I read in someones journal, i forgot who, a similar issue (i think) and it went away as the nail got longer. I think they said its almost like the muscle gets tight from resisting to protect itself, but after a certain length it just kind of gives up and lets you lengthen it. Actually i think i read it in Ozboy diary too that the nurse said this happens around 4cm which is where i am approximately.

Experienced Betz / gnail patients - i would love your input!
@rb / @stretchalot / @ozboy etc.

Aside from the current right quad, very happy with how everything is going.

[OzBoy39]

I'm pretty sure you might have read it from mine
Congrats on getting to 4cm. It's all downhill from here (until you hit 6 lol).

I remember the Pat lady told  me that around 3 or 4ncm is where you loose all the slack you had in your muscles and reach the maximum tension within them. The muscle and the body try to react to it making it tighter and therefore causing you discomfort and pain.

But then you keep pushing through (maybe slow down a notch whilst you increase stretching) and then yes I agree, things get looser. Can't remember exactly when but I do remember what be helped me a LOT.nasically I changed the way I use to do stretching.
I've always followed the same approach our PT had which is basically fast and hard (to the point of screaming).

I instead started doing long.... Long stretches but at just a point of mild mild discomfort. I felt this helped me get my muscle back to a "normal" tightness level.

See if it works, hold the usual quad, hams, hips stretches for like 3-4-5 minutes at a time.... See what happens after a couple of days.

Also, another thing PT always told us (and I disagree now very strongly) was to NOT do strengthening excercises or any excercises on the legs at all. Just walking with crutches.
Their fear is that a "strong" muscles will get tighter and make things harder later.on (clicks, stretching.....).

Whilst I understand where they are coming from I also believe that that caused myself immense knee pain which I only resolved recently here in Australia when I started doing let presses.

So yeah.. I'm sure everything in this process is a big balancing act, but it's also good to see we're all progressing towards our goal (BTW, at the gym I go to here I'm not the shortest anymore... By a good amount. I'm bloody stoked as I still have 3cm to gain)
Good luck and let us know how U go
 

[Growth.journey]

Thanks OZboy - great advice as usual! I will try the five minute stretching too and hopefully that helps my right quad , fingers crossed it naturally loosens up soon too.

That feeling of being taller is amazing isn’t it, you probabyl have had more of these moments given you’re 2cm ahead. I am taller but I also changed my shoes to be flatter than before so I feel the same haha.

Ps your Pt seems to be giving some dodgy advice! Is the one overseas?

[Stand taller]

Update, just under 4cm (3.8cm). I've been doing 15 clicks for sometime now (0.78mm per day)

Excited to hit 4-5cm.
Everything is going well. No duckass or widelegs. My muscles are quite tight but i bought a foam roller and a massage gun, which are great investments, i'd recommend. I am going to the gym everyday and walking in the pool every 2nd day. I am only going to physio once a week as i didnt think it was super helpful, he just gives me a massage, but ill maybe look to increase this to 2 days a week.
My sleep is decent but i still get up 3-4 times per night and have to roll around. That being said, im sleeping from about 9.30pm to 5.30am most days so probably like 7-8 hours after you take into account getting up etc, but its not deep sleep either.
Taking a lot of baths during the day and working in there, i am still working 8 hours or more per day, but i just rotate positions like standing up, stretching, sitting down, bathtub, outside etc.
My IT band is tight but not as as tight as before, just get random aches, stiffness and pains throughout the day but its bearable.
I will get my first xray since coming back next week.
Clicking in my left leg is an absolute dream. Its so easy now, i get it done in literally ten minutes or less and it almost feels good to do. So happy with that leg.

 
My only issue, which seems to have arisen in the last 2-3 days is that my right quad seems to have become very tight. So that means when i start twisting my leg for the clicking, i get to a tension point in my quad that feels like pain and then i stop. It's kind of middle/lower quad and adductor, its not super painful i just am scared of pushing through pain and tear the muscle so i stop at the point, massage my quad in the pain area until the tension releases, then i can keep doing this until its 'warmed up'. Its not crazy difficult or painful (like 3/10) but it just takes a long time to do because i have to warm up for much much longer (by comparison i barely need to warm up my left) and clicking on my right has a lot more resistance, like i need way more physical exertion to twist my leg and any discomfort/time cost from that.

Today it took me about 45 mins to an hour on my right leg including warmup. My left leg took 10 mins. I'm fairly certain the issue is a tight quadricep as the clicking gets easier after massaging the quad whilst rotating.

I need you guys' help with this:
- Is this a common problem?
- What do you think is causing it? Is it just the muscle reaching its limit and just needs to 'break through'?
- Is it something that will probably go away soon as I either stretch the muscle more or the nail lengthens and gets easier?
- Do you have any tips for addressing it, e.g. using massage gun whilst clicking, getting a thai massage on the quad,  loads of stretching, reducing clicks temporarily etc.
- Should i be doing more strength training (leg ext/leg press/bike) or should i be giving my muscles a rest instead? As i am doing them but lightly (bike 20 mins everyday, leg workout if i have time every 2-3 days before or after clicking)

I read in someones journal, i forgot who, a similar issue (i think) and it went away as the nail got longer. I think they said its almost like the muscle gets tight from resisting to protect itself, but after a certain length it just kind of gives up and lets you lengthen it. Actually i think i read it in Ozboy diary too that the nurse said this happens around 4cm which is where i am approximately.

Experienced Betz / gnail patients - i would love your input!
@rb / @stretchalot / @ozboy etc.

Aside from the current right quad, very happy with how everything is going.

Do I understand correctly that it is very tight to do the actual click? So tight that you need 45 minutes to complete clicking on your right leg? If so what helped me when this was the case, I always "stretched" the first click on each leg. What I mean is that doing the first click I would hold my leg in that rotated position and stretch past that first click and hold it there for around a minute. I did this a lot during the clicking phase and for me at least it did help. If you read my diary because of this technique I was able to click both legs in a few minutes throughout the whole process. I would also recommend if this does not improve clicking at a lower rate each day. I would sometimes do these so my body could "catch up" and then clicking became much easier. It was only when I reached almost 11cm that clicking started to get hard.

[OzBoy39]

Thanks OZboy - great advice as usual! I will try the five minute stretching too and hopefully that helps my right quad , fingers crossed it naturally loosens up soon too.

That feeling of being taller is amazing isn’t it, you probabyl have had more of these moments given you’re 2cm ahead. I am taller but I also changed my shoes to be flatter than before so I feel the same haha.

Ps your Pt seems to be giving some dodgy advice! Is the one overseas?

No problems at all.
Yeah this is like PT we used to have in Athens. Honestly I don't understand their point, I feel so much more "mobile" now although yes I can feel the clicks are harder (not painful though).

I guess perhaps both approaches are right,..but I hate the feeling of not being able to stand from a chair. So I'll keep doing light strengthening excercises until the end

[Growth.journey]

Do I understand correctly that it is very tight to do the actual click? So tight that you need 45 minutes to complete clicking on your right leg? If so what helped me when this was the case, I always "stretched" the first click on each leg. What I mean is that doing the first click I would hold my leg in that rotated position and stretch past that first click and hold it there for around a minute. I did this a lot during the clicking phase and for me at least it did help. If you read my diary because of this technique I was able to click both legs in a few minutes throughout the whole process. I would also recommend if this does not improve clicking at a lower rate each day. I would sometimes do these so my body could "catch up" and then clicking became much easier. It was only when I reached almost 11cm that clicking started to get hard.

Hi Standtaller. Yes that is correct, it is caused by quad tightness in right leg. This is a great tip / idea , though I didn’t see this in your diary. I just re read it now and couldn’t find it. But I am going to try it today for clicks and let you know how I go! I can see how that makes sense though

Edit: tried it this morning and it was actually an amazing tip. A few questions:
1. Did you do this on every click or just the first few?
2. Did you just hold it at the point it clicks? Or did you try and stretch the angle even further?

[Growth.journey]

Got my first X-ray since being back home. 6 weeks xray at 4.2cm. Can people please let me know if the growth is good? I cannot tell and I don’t think betz will reply lol. I sent it to him on WhatsApp but not expecting much.

[tallmen]

Got my first X-ray since being back home. 6 weeks xray at 4.2cm. Can people please let me know if the growth is good? I cannot tell and I don’t think betz will reply lol. I sent it to him on WhatsApp but not expecting much.

not bad

[Growth.journey]

Showed Daniela who showed Becker.

Response was everything is perfect.

I also asked about the increased resistance I’ve found recently when clicking, is that because of muscle tightness or possible bone growth. Becker said if I am still getting resistance to increase clicking to 20 for 3 days, I suppose to increase the distance of the gap. Today I did 17 clicks and may increase to 20 tomorrow to see how it goes but damn even an increase of 2 today makes such a big difference, I’m so tight today!

Side note: I haven’t noticed the height difference that much, probably because I’ve thrown away my old thick shoes and bought new sleeker shoes which mostly offsets if not all of the height increase and then some. So I think I’m about the same but I look so much better with longer legs and sleeker shoe profile. I used to hate the way my thick shoes looked, like clown shoes! So it’s only upside from here and I look good  . The other side note is that my pants fit me much better. I used to hate the way my jeans / track pants bunched up and made me look shorter. Now they stretch long and make my legs look long. Love it.

[OzBoy39]

Side note: I haven’t noticed the height difference that much, probably because I’ve thrown away my old thick shoes and bought new sleeker shoes which mostly offsets if not all of the height increase and then some. So I think I’m about the same but I look so much better with longer legs and sleeker shoe profile. I used to hate the way my thick shoes looked, like clown shoes! So it’s only upside from here and I look good  . The other side note is that my pants fit me much better. I used to hate the way my jeans / track pants bunched up and made me look shorter. Now they stretch long and make my legs look long. Love it.

Love the comments on the pants. I now have a very similar problem where pretty much ALL pants that I had shortened in the past.... Gotta go into the bin.

And I'm not even sorry!!!

[Growth.journey]

5cm - day 59 post surgery

Finally hit the big 5cm threshold. Feels good.

Clicking has become easier , those muscle pains and tightness appear to have mostly disappeared around the low 4cms. It’s still a tiring and annoying process but I don’t dread it it’s just another activity I need to do in the morning.

I don’t have wide legs or duckass or nerve pain. My walking is decent but I can’t walk very far without getting tired. I have been working hard in gym pool etc to prevent this.

I’m feeling as good as any other point on the process, if not the best, but the exhaustion of the process is catching up to me I just feel very tired and over it but not in a painful way.

I don’t feel super tall yet. I wouldn’t say my neurosis is gone but it’s definitely subsided substantially. But I still notice heights and occasionally feel self conscious. I think it should be gone after another 2-3cm.

My body is tight but after using massage gun and stretching or pool it’s fine. My sleep is fine I only wake up to piss and quick stretches a few times but otherwise good sleep quality. I take melatonin before I sleep.

I guess the next consideration is how far I actually lengthen. I was going for 8cm but if things were going well and I felt fine I was going to maybe add 1-2cm but just listening to my body and dimensions. I think 8cm is probably fine but for a once in a lifetime operation and change I don’t want to feel like I could have done more later.

I have a lot of respect to those who have done this surgery and got through it successfully. It’s incredibly difficult and tiring but the outcome is worth it.

[lessthanavg8300]

Really inspiring reading this.  I have the same surgery with Betz next month.  Very helpful reading through your anxiety leading up to the surgery because I too am extremely nervous.  You've come so far and I'm really jealous of your position in getting past the hardest parts.  Im going to blank out on the plane trip and probably be in shock 24 hours before the surgery.  But im going to force myself to do this.  Its basically a year of hell through nail removal but the upside is the rest of your life as you pointed out.

My one anxiety remains if my family will call me out after surgery. Do you plan on telling yours (other than your gf)?