Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: dreamingcloud on February 17, 2021, 07:37:28 PM
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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.
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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. >:(
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Hope you recover well. Best of wishes and stay strong.
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Did u have very less body flexibility to start with....and is an IT band release always necessary for femurs?
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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
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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.
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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).
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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
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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.
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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.
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Did u had ur IT band released for ur femurs during surgery?
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How is your experience now?
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Are you still active here ?
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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?
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I've never heard this before. Where are you getting this information from?
yeah never heard this either
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If you have recent imaging data please put it at this thread. Redact any information that could be used to dox you.