Limb Lengthening Forum

Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: dreamingcloud on February 17, 2021, 07:37:28 PM

Title: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: dreamingcloud on February 17, 2021, 07:37:28 PM
I took some time to decide if I should share my experience I had with femur lengthening with Dr Betz. I initially didn’t want to share but I wish I had known some of these things before making my own decision with whom I should have the surgery done. So I decided to post my experience, hoping it will help others.

Stats:
- female, American
- initial stature 5.2
- lengthening of both femurs 8 cm
- July 2020

Experience of surgery and lengthening:
Dr Betz was very nice and the experience was without any issues or complications. I reached my final goal of 8cm gain while back in America. Nails were not an issue. They don’t break and the clicking mechanism, while old school, is working fine.

Post lengthening complications:
I did have considerable issues with stretching my hip flexors and IT bands . What’s important to know (and not disclosed prior to surgery): dr Betz doesnt weaken these structures during the procedure while American doctors typically do that. So lengthening under Dr Betz is much tougher regarding these structures. I was working with the PT of Dr Robert Rozbruch starting the week I got back from Germany. I spent $600-900 per week on PT with his highly experienced LL PT. I did all exercises as prescribed by Dr Betz religiously by myself. However, 6 months post surgery I had major contractures that forbid me to walk normally (and without crutches). I’m far from healed or ok, even post 6 months.

Diagnosis Rozbruch:
Went to see Dr Rozbruch locally who said I needed surgery to release the structures Dr Betz failed to release in his original surgery. Dr Rozbruch seemed to be very “impressed” by my case and almost saw it as a case study of how bad recovery could be. He said there was no way for this to go away just by doing PT.

Response Betz:
I communicated with Betz and was very surprised by his response. He said he would “under no circumstances” operate me to release those structures. He prescribed another 6-12 months additional PT after which he felt I may or may not would be able to walk again normally and without crutches. He did not give me a reason as to WHY he rejected any kind of surgical help (besides that he never had done it before). Even after asking several times. I’ve been on crutches and out of commission for more than 6 months now, it’s not realistic nor practical to follow Dr Betz suggested “solution” to my problem.
So now I’m scheduled to get surgery with Dr Rozbruch, which I need to pay out-of-pocket. About $20,000

Takeaway:
I’m not saying do your surgery with Dr Betz, or don’t do it with him. In my opinion, if you don’t encounter issues, his surgery is as good as with anyone else. But don’t count on practical help if you have complications. He actually at this point stopped responding to me which is probably the most surprising and challenging part of the experience. If a surgeon does this surgery and takes international patients, ghosting when issues arise seems unprofessional and not constructive.

 
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: Medium Drink Of Water on February 17, 2021, 07:47:59 PM
While I do like his philosophy of not releasing IT bands during the initial surgery, my opinion of him is definitely much lower now if he's refusing to do it for patients who really need it and then ghosting them. >:(
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: Jamesy998 on February 17, 2021, 07:59:03 PM
Hope you recover well. Best of wishes and stay strong.
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: Kal el on February 17, 2021, 08:05:44 PM
Did u have very less body flexibility to start with....and is an IT band release always necessary for femurs?
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: permanentlybanned on February 17, 2021, 08:16:32 PM
Thank you dreamingcloud for sharing your story. Hopefully Rozbruch will take good care of you now and you can finally find solace and a path to recovery after all these months with unprofessional doctor. Rozbruch is great and I'm sure you will do well in the surgery :)

@kal el gymnasts who can put their leg around their neck even needed IT band release because at around 6cm it is just too tight regardless of your flexibility. It is almost always preferred. It is not anyone's fault of being non flexible. Almost everyone should require it band release unless you literally choose to lengthen like 4cm femurs which let's be real, no one wants that little
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: Kal el on February 17, 2021, 09:02:52 PM
Does IT band release jeopardizes ur future athletic abilities and and once released does it heal on its own or its done for life time.
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: hanshi on February 17, 2021, 09:08:53 PM
I'm not sure the IT band release is the only problem here. There might be a problem with bone consolidation as well. That's the biggest problem with those "old school" nails. They are mechanically unstable and hence can cause problems with bone consolidation (also something Betz never tells his customers).
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: permanentlybanned on February 17, 2021, 09:50:14 PM
Does IT band release jeopardizes ur future athletic abilities and and once released does it heal on its own or its done for life time.

Not even close to the severity that an Achilles lengthening would jeopardize you. The IT band heals completely as if "nothing ever happened" according to Doctah Fauci I mean Paley. It's probably true
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: Tartar on February 17, 2021, 10:41:12 PM
Not even close to the severity that an Achilles lengthening would jeopardize you. The IT band heals completely as if "nothing ever happened" according to Doctah Fauci I mean Paley. It's probably true
This.
IT band is made and related to almost fibrous tissue only, there's no way to stretch it well. It heals and there aren't problems about it, it's a stabilizer structure.
It's always performed nowadays because there are no real reasons to avoid it.
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: Jamesy998 on February 17, 2021, 10:54:58 PM
This.
IT band is made and related to almost fibrous tissue only, there's no way to stretch it well. It heals and there aren't problems about it, it's a stabilizer structure.
It's always performed nowadays because there are no real reasons to avoid it.

Begs to question why Dr. Betz is so adamant about not performing it.
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: Kal el on February 18, 2021, 01:32:01 AM
Did u had ur IT band released for ur femurs during surgery?
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: sixfootandhalf on February 17, 2023, 05:26:03 AM
How is your experience now?
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: sixfootandhalf on February 20, 2023, 05:41:20 AM
Are you still active here ?
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: oldiebuttbaddie on March 18, 2023, 11:31:17 PM
I'm not sure the IT band release is the only problem here. There might be a problem with bone consolidation as well. That's the biggest problem with those "old school" nails. They are mechanically unstable and hence can cause problems with bone consolidation (also something Betz never tells his customers).

I've never heard this before.  Where are you getting this information from?
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: sixfootandhalf on March 21, 2023, 01:59:00 PM
I've never heard this before.  Where are you getting this information from?

yeah never heard this either
Title: Re: Femurs lengthening with Dr Betz
Post by: sphenopetroclival on May 20, 2023, 03:53:37 PM
If you have recent imaging data please put it at this thread. Redact any information that could be used to dox you.