You can also find the entire interview in the information center on the BECKER BETZ INSTITUTE website.
Dr. Axel Becker is a specialist in leg lengthening, a specialist in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, a specialist in orthopedics and trauma surgery and carries out cosmetic leg lengthening in his special clinic in Freiburg. For this purpose – only here – a minimally invasive leg lengthening method BETZBONE®, developed by him and unique in the world, is used.
Dr. med. A. Becker
Hello Nico, you had your legs lengthened in our special clinic for leg lengthening and are now 8.5 cm taller. Many patients tell us how they experienced the operation. I’m interested in how you feel today. How are you feeling 14 weeks after leg lengthening surgery? What experiences do you have with being 8.5 cm taller?
Nico
I have to say, at the beginning of the extension process, when you start clicking, you think nothing much is happening. But I can say that with approx. 6 cm more leg length I feel great. I felt really good and, above all, I was spoken to in those around me. Everyone noticed that I was taller – a great feeling for me.
Dr. med. A. Becker
In fact, what you report is feedback that we receive from almost all of our patients – the reaction from those around us, from acquaintances and friends, almost always comes when leg lengthening of approx. 5 to 6 cm is achieved.
Nico
Exactly. For me, at around 3 cm, I perceived myself as bigger, but there was no reaction at all from the outside. That almost made me a little sad. I thought all the effort and discipline of clicking must be noticeable. As I said, that happened when the 6 cm was reached. Everyone noticed it. This actually gave me a real boost of energy. The next few centimeters were very easy for me.
Dr. med. A. Becker
What does your daily routine look like when it comes to clicking? You start the day with the clicking procedure, right? And you demonstrated to me earlier that clicking has become a complete routine for you. How long does it take you to do this every day, I estimate 15 – 20 minutes, is that possible?
Nico
For clicking? Current? No, it’s much, much faster now – maybe a minute.
Dr. med. A. Becker
And how much time do you spend on stretching exercises every day?
Nico
I spend a lot of time stretching – probably 5 to 6 hours.
Dr. med. A. Becker
Ok, that’s necessary too – right?
Nico
Yes that’s it. I immediately notice what stretching brings me. So clicking doesn’t hurt. But after clicking, I notice how the tension builds up in the muscle. The more stretching exercises I do, the faster I feel better. Most importantly, clicking the next day is much easier. At least that’s how I feel. If I don’t do the stretching exercises consistently, I have these tension pains and the clicking hurts me the next day.
Dr. med. A. Becker
This is exactly what we always point out. The stretching exercises must be followed consistently. That’s a lot of daily effort, but it ends or no longer requires as much effort when the extension process is completed. But in fact, the focus during the extension is clearly on muscle relaxation through stretching exercises. Of course, 5 to 6 hours of daily stretching exercises is work – but it simplifies the clicking process a lot. So it’s worth it.
My next question: How are you running today, 14 weeks after leg lengthening. Do you need forearm crutches or do you walk without them?
Nico
I walk without walking aids.
Dr. med. A. Becker
Since when have you been walking without walking aids?
Nico
When I reached seven centimeters of extension, I started walking with just one crutch. That worked quite well, but sometimes I still needed both. From 8 centimeters onwards, I no longer needed walking aids for short distances.
Dr. med. A. Becker
Fine. Now come the last days until the extension of 9 centimeters. So you have almost reached your goal. Congratulations on that. What else do I want to say? We always point out that the last clicks are very important. You really have to pay attention to this so that the click position after the click process is complete – i.e. the outside position – is correct. After the last click, you will notice that muscle tension reduces significantly over the following 5 to 6 days. The muscles will relax and you will feel much better. This also means you can reduce painkillers.
Question, are you still taking the painkillers as prescribed at the beginning? Or have you already reduced your intake?
Nico
I have already reduced the painkillers. So during the day and at night I still need these like I did at the beginning.
Dr. med. A. Becker
That’s good. How do you sleep at night? Can you sleep through the night or do you wake up once or twice?
Nico
Yes, I actually wake up once or twice.
Dr. med. A. Becker
Do you wake up because of pain?
Nico
Yes, because of tension in the muscles. I’ve tried different things that help me. Take a hot shower e.g. B. relaxes my muscles. Afterwards I usually fall back asleep for 3 to 4 hours.
Dr. med. A. Becker
Ok, what you need to know: If you take painkillers before you go to bed, the effect of the painkiller will be strong than high level for the next few hours. After that the effect levels off. During this phase you will feel the tension in the muscle much more strongly and you will wake up. This is the case with almost all of our patients. These strong muscle tensions stop when the lengthening process is finished.
Dr. med. A. Becker
My final question for you. Would you like to say something to people who are interested in leg lengthening?
Nico
Yes, it is very important to understand that you don’t think that you are now buying yourself more height, like when you buy a car. Leg lengthening is painful and requires a lot of discipline. Especially when it comes to the things that you as a patient have to do on your own to contribute to success. I have to say, it helped me a lot that you always explained everything to me in great detail. To be honest, it was very difficult for me at first, but then it suddenly worked much better. I have found that this process simply takes time and a lot of patience. But the feeling of happiness afterwards is even greater, at least for me. Today, 14 weeks after the leg lengthening and 8.5 centimeters more height, I am totally happy.
Dr. med. A. Becker
Nico, thank you very much for the conversation and for your openness.
