We have reached the end of Ava’s lengthening of her femur. The consultant opted for 4cm in the end rather than 5cm as this would have put Ava’s knees out of alignment. The 4cm has made a huge difference but there is still a discrepancy of c.2-3cm (on her lower leg and due to the shortening of her foot). You can see from the x rays below that the 4cm break is healing well and Ava is now weight bearing and able to walk small distances without a crutch. The reason for her being able to do this with a broken leg is that she still has the metal rod inside the middle of her bones holding everything in place. This remains in Ava’s leg for around 2 years and is removed via surgery.
This has definitely been the easiest of treatments so far. Yes it still involved a long and complex surgery and a long period of time where Ava couldn’t walk or do usual activities but the positives vs the illzarov frame are huge. No pin site cleaning, no infections, no cumbersome frame for people to gawp at and far less pain. For femoral lengthening I would highly recommend the Precise nail if it’s offered to you by your consultant.
Ava is allowed to start walking but is not allowed impact or to participate in any sports until March at the earliest. I suppose because of Covid and the many lockdowns and restrictions this hasn’t been a huge problem at all. We now wait for the bone to completely heal and for our next appointment in March.
Ava has also been to an orthotics appointment. This was to create a mould of her foot so they can build a shoe raise for the inside of her shoe to help balance her out. Due to lockdown it’s likely this will be delayed but hopefully not for too long as this puts lots of pressure on Ava’s hips and foot.
The pictures below show her new lengthened leg in all its glory. It just needs a bit of sun on it to help heal the scars. Roll on summer 2021!
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