When Can You Walk After Limb Lengthening Surgery
So let me start off by saying to be able to stand, your legs need stability. To be able to walk your legs need stability + mobility = ROM. And to be able to walk “perfectly” and eventually run, sprint and jump...your legs need stability + mobility + flexibility.
So how soon you’ll be able to do those things is going to depend heavily on some factors such as the type of device you had used (external vs. internal), the set of bones you had lengthened, the amount of length you got done, and the efficiency of your rehab among other things.
1. Type of lengthening device:
Depending on which device is used to lengthen your legs you may or may not be able to walk right away.
For example if you have the STRYDE nail used you should be able to weight bear almost immediately post-op which is a good thing because you won’t lose as much ROM from being sedentary as long and the weight bearing will also ensure better bone healing thus more stability and faster recovery. Although I still want to be cautious.
If you have the PRECICE 1 like I did or even an external fixator like the Taylor Spatial Frame with or without an internal nail as in LON or LATN then you won’t be able to weight bear until after distraction or if you do it’s with assistance from crutches or a walker but not worth chancing it.
2. Which bones did you have lengthened
If you have your femurs lengthened, you’re going to recover faster and be able to walk sooner than the lower tibia & fibula. This is mainly because there’s a better blood supply in the thigh due to more muscle and things like that.
3. The amount of height you got done
This is a huge factor in determining how soon you can start walking. A general rule of thumb is roughly 1 week for each cm of length in femurs and 1.5 weeks for each cm of length in the tibias. But it always depends on the X-ray, the doctor can easily tell when that bone is solid.
So let’s talk femurs. Say you had 6-8cm of length added to the femurs, you are looking at about 6-8 weeks or 2 months of consolidation phase. You can add this to the mm per day lengthening phase of 2.5 or 3 months so that’s about a total of 5 months till your bone is healed and ready for normal weight bearing.
If you got the recommended 5cm of tibial lengthening done you’re also going to take about 2 months. This is because, even though length is less, they just take longer to heal than femurs on average.
4. How well your rehab is going
So you may be taking those baby steps, but when can you start walking like you used to or “normally” again. If you cannot regain your full ROM and flexibility of your muscles and joints, your walk is going to be off until you can.
The most important muscle flexibility will be your posterior chain like those hamstrings, glutes and calves but also your abductors. You should be able to walk normally by about 2-3 months post consolidation if your PT and rehab is going well. I suggest you keep your stretching habits going for about 1 year after surgery to ensure a really good turnout.