Limb Lengthening Forum

Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Discussions => Topic started by: BreaktoGrow on September 23, 2022, 02:28:43 AM

Title: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: BreaktoGrow on September 23, 2022, 02:28:43 AM
I had Precice 2.2 done and I’m 10 weeks into consolidation. The ERC Magnet showed I had 163 rotations (8.15cm, maxed out). But when I measure myself up against pre-surgery consistent evening measurements (measured by placing solid, straight object against wall at 90 degree angle till gently rests on head), im only seeing a gain of about 7.2cm. My x-rays don’t show any signs of signs or bending or abnormalities. Am I missing something here? Is there still hope that I’ll get that 1cm back further into consolidation or was I screwed out of 1cm?
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: LIVELIFETHEWAYIWANT on September 23, 2022, 03:08:30 AM
you need to check if your knee is straight when you measure your height
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: LIVELIFETHEWAYIWANT on September 23, 2022, 03:09:45 AM
also , how much you have    gained is measured with your last X rays . not your ERC unit.
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: BreaktoGrow on September 23, 2022, 04:13:16 AM
My knees are definitely straight. 10 weeks into consolidation, I can definitely stand straight. The issue with x-rays is their lack of accuracy. It doesn't seem like surgeons are able to get an exact measurement with them. According to my surgeon and standing x-rays, I reached 8cm. According to the Precice Nuvasive rep, the magnet is very strong and rarely will ever fail in turning the nail.

But, when measured in reality...I'm just not getting evening 8cm....
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: vincentfreeman on September 23, 2022, 04:44:55 AM
There will be a discrepancy between bone length increase and actual height increase (normal femur curvature angle) - You will also vary by about a cm throughout the day just based on spine compression alone. 0.8cm is also within the margin of measuring error if you are doing your own measurements.
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: Medium Drink Of Water on September 23, 2022, 04:50:41 AM
If you did femurs, they were lengthened along the anatomical axis rather than vertically.  So the femurs are that much longer but you are not that much taller.
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: BreaktoGrow on September 23, 2022, 05:43:25 AM
@vincent Thanks for the response. I realize that there will be some variance given the changes in height due to spinal fluid, etc. But, I’ve been careful to time the measurement carefully (same time ((hours elapsed from waking)). Something still seems off. My average evening height post-surgery seems to be 7cm greater as oppose to 8 when compared to my pre-surgery evening height.

@medium thanks for the response, as well. I understand that the anatomical structure of the femur suggests the length of the bone won’t be fully realized when standing. It’s just that, I’ve heard form
varying sources (including my own surgeon), that the ratio of height gain from bone to full body is practically 1:1. Meaning, if I lengthening 8cm, I should physically stand 8cm taller. I believe Paley also states the same.

Thoughts?
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: EndGame on September 23, 2022, 07:15:52 PM
It might be more accurate to compare your height straight out of bed in the morning.
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: vincentfreeman on September 24, 2022, 06:14:04 AM
@vincent Thanks for the response. I realize that there will be some variance given the changes in height due to spinal fluid, etc. But, I’ve been careful to time the measurement carefully (same time ((hours elapsed from waking)). Something still seems off. My average evening height post-surgery seems to be 7cm greater as oppose to 8 when compared to my pre-surgery evening height.

@medium thanks for the response, as well. I understand that the anatomical structure of the femur suggests the length of the bone won’t be fully realized when standing. It’s just that, I’ve heard form
varying sources (including my own surgeon), that the ratio of height gain from bone to full body is practically 1:1. Meaning, if I lengthening 8cm, I should physically stand 8cm taller. I believe Paley also states the same.

Thoughts?

that doesn't make sense to me - like if you look at a chart of the anatomy of the femur, it seems like simple trigonometry that cm lengthened in femur will not exactly equal height gained. Maybe they are referring to tibias? I can try and research exactly what the discrepancy is, it shouldn't be a huge difference but yeah 0.5-0.8cm discrepancy sounds about what I would expect.
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: BreaktoGrow on September 25, 2022, 07:24:25 AM
that doesn't make sense to me - like if you look at a chart of the anatomy of the femur, it seems like simple trigonometry that cm lengthened in femur will not exactly equal height gained. Maybe they are referring to tibias? I can try and research exactly what the discrepancy is, it shouldn't be a huge difference but yeah 0.5-0.8cm discrepancy sounds about what I would expect.

This is what I'm trying to understand. Why it appears that I'm 1cm below despite my surgeon indicating that they're certain I gained 8cm according to the x-rays along with my ERC indicating so.
Title: Re: Don’t feel I gained all 8cms?
Post by: boklecrt on September 25, 2022, 08:13:36 AM
so basically every 6 months a new batch of people doing LL and interested in LL comes and discusses the same things discussed over and over and over again


the femur is curved, therefore a 8 cm bone gain would not bring an 8 cm height gain

the difference would be about less than 1 cm 


If you did tibia the bone length gain of, for example, 5 cm will produce exactly 5 cm of real life height gain