Lengthing of arm

[cristina]

Has anyone had their arm lengthen. If so was it successful? Why or why not? I'm having mod-quad first and then considering arm lengthing,I just want to get more info.

[Joanie]

I saw Dr. Nath recently, when he was here in Ohio. He recommended the arm lengthening procedure for me, too. I have additional questions for those who've been through it.

Was it painful? How long did you have the apparatus on your arm? How did you dress to accommodate the apparatus (larger size clothing, etc.)? Did lengthening your BPI arm increase your ability to use that arm? Was there any therapy after the surgery? If so, please tell me about it. Are you pleased with the overall results?

You can also e-mail me, but please put something in the subject line to indicate BPI, because I tend to delete e-mails if I don't recognize the sender's address.

Joanie

[rachelcasa]

I had the mod-quad surgery done and actually have regained about two inches in length. My arm is now quite close to the other one in length. I know a gal Deanna who had the illizarov fixator on her arm. She did it to help straigten in turn which would help her regain her length. She said it was absolutely very painful. She had her primary surgery with Dr. Nath and then Dr. Guggenheim did the fixator. She said it hurt like heck.

[sumsions]

I had bone lengthening. They did the upper arm first and then the lower arm a few years later. It was a great experience with a total gain of 5 inches (2.5 from top and 2.5 from bottom). I was just ending 3rd grade when I had the first operation and ending 5th when I had the second. Dr. Dror Paley in Baltimore. I did have a hard time finding clothes but my mom got me shirts with stretchy sleeves and then i wore one of my dad's coats in the winter with huge sleeves. It probably looked funny but it was worth it in the end. Hope this helps!

[Mare]

Dr Nath has recommended this also for frankie he said not only will it make it longer but will turn it so his palm is down and get rid of the elbow contracture frankie keeps telling himself the bace looks more painful then it really is Dr Kumar the Dr who did his EMG on Tue had one on his leg and was walking on it but he can also self medicate I would also like to hear from anyone who had this done and find out how painful it was and how long it was on for. Mare

[Mare]

Hi Sumsions
Frankie wants to know if the bone lenghtening brace you have to wear hurts? He just had the mod quad and Dr Nath said that was the next surgery he needs to have done. Also did your arm have alot of improved function? and how long did you have to wear the braces? Also as your body grows do you need more surgeries or does your arm grow after that? Thanks for your help Mare

[sumsions]

Mare,
The weight of the cast is difficult but it’s just something you need to get used to. Cleaning the pins is crucial so an infection doesn't develop, because those are painful. I am sorry I do not remember exactly how long I wore them for I want to guess six months but that could be totally wrong. Also, I have had a lot of tightening in my shoulder so my arm appears shorter, but not nearly as short as it used to be, but other then that the growth has remained consistent with the other side.

[Tessie258]

Just my opinion....But I think a child needs to be old enough to be really dedicated to doing this, it is a huge commitment. My son is scheduled for January 30th to start the process. I'm not sure I would have put him through it when he was younger. It's not the kind of thing you can change your mind on in the middle. It would depend on the kid and his or her maturity level....I would think doing this between the age of 12-16 would be sheer hell because of the hormonal tidal waves.
My son will be 18 by the time we are finished.