Time flies. It also mends scars and grows new bones. It has been 6 months and 2 weeks since the first surgery and 2 months and 3 weeks since the second surgery to correct my bowed legs. I always felt self-conscious about the shape of my legs since I was a teenager so it was a great news that the surgery would make my bowed legs straight, fix the knee pains, and prevent arthritis in the future as well. The level of pain I had on my legs before the surgery was not too serious. I experienced dull pains on the outside of my legs below the knees only after long walks, jogging, and snowboarding for hours and I was concerned that the pain was getting more noticeable as I get older. As I mentioned in my previous posts, both my grandma and mom suffered from severe arthritis on their legs. My grandma had knee-replacement surgery and my mom had arthroscopic surgery.
Dr. Klimkiewicz (Dr. K) who operated tibial osteotomy using ibalance system is a wonderful surgeon who puts his patients’ needs on priority. For me he was the perfect surgeon because he didn’t judge the need for the surgery with the existing conditions but saw the benefits I would have in the future from the surgery.
Last week, I had my second follow-up appointment with Dr. K and he was excited to see the progress on my legs. He told me I should be able to start running by early July and encouraged me to be more aggressive with exercises (stationary bike and elliptical) to strengthen the legs. Below is a x-ray of my legs taken during the appointment. The gap on my right leg looks cloudy which means new bone is filling in. The screws look faint but they are there – you can click on the picture to enlarge it.
X-ray taken on April 26, 2011
Not a Cowgirl 
Hello there! Your xray looks great! The screws are hardly noticeable, the bone is growing and the legs are straight!
I think it would be interesting to see your pre op xray, do you have it? It’s okay for you to post it? I do appreciate it.
Thank you once again, all the best for you! :-)
S
Thank you, Susy. I will try to scan and post my pre-op x-ray as soon as possible! Hope you have a wonderful week!
Thank you! I do appreciate it! ;-)
Your blog is helping a lot of people like me.
Your blog is so helpful. Thanks for taking the time to write it. I am getting the nerve up to have an ibalance HTO this year. I would love to talk to you on the phone & ask some questions. Is that possible?
Thank you for your comment, Doug. I will email you directly so we could coordinate date and time for a call.
Thank you so much for creating this blog! Because of the info you provided I was able to find an ibalance HTO surgeon in my area (Oregon). I am just beginning this journey and have questions I would like to chat with you about if you wouldn’t mind emailing me directly. Thank you again!
That’s great news! Do you mind sharing the name of the surgeon and contact information so I could share it with others in the future? I will also email you directly. Thanks!
Dr. K did an HTO on my left leg in August of 2010. Great results!! I can hike all day, run about 12 miles per week and downhill ski. No knee problems.
Thank you for you comment, Kyle. I’m glad to hear that you recovered well! Dr.K is a great surgeon. I’ve been little hesitant to start snowboarding again because I’m afraid of falling on my knees. I have no pain but my knees still feel sensitive. I definitely want to try it again soon.