Back to Patient Stories Overview

Patient Story of: D. G.

Englewood, NJ

Limb Lengthening Surgery

Share this Story

I am grateful to Dr. Rozbruch and his team at HSS for the care I received before and after both surgeries.

D. G.

I have loved sports and the outdoors my whole life, and running most of all. By 2003, when I was 25, my right knee hurt after every run. Doctor after doctor told me the same thing: a torn meniscus that needed surgery. I had the operation, went through rehab and slowly worked my way back. I ran multiple races, including the New York City Marathon in 2010.

But my right knee never stopped hurting. Over the years I saw many of the orthopedic surgeons considered the best in New York City, and their advice was always some version of the same three options: stop running and switch to swimming or cycling, do more physical therapy or have another knee surgery. From where I stood, none of those were good choices.

After years of pain, an orthopedic surgeon in New York examined me and found the real problem. I had significant tibial torsion – a twist in my shinbone. He told me it had to be corrected or I had to stop running, because the misalignment was destroying my knee. It was hard news, but at least I finally had the correct diagnosis.

I spent the next year researching tibial torsion correction and talking to the small number of surgeons in the United States who perform the operation regularly. That research led me to the Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction Service at HSS and to S. Robert Rozbruch, MD.

When we met, Dr. Rozbruch spent real time with me. He examined me, listened to my whole story and studied my imaging. Then he explained exactly how he would correct the torsion: an osteotomy, followed by a Taylor Spatial Frame external fixation device on my leg. Over about one month, I would turn my leg one degree per day until it was straight.

He walked me through how long the full process would take and when I could expect to be active again. He answered every follow-up question promptly and treated me with respect. He even agreed to meet with me a few more times in his office to talk through my fears about the surgery.

I had the osteotomy at HSS in April 2011, and the frame came off in early August 2011. Over those months, Dr. Rozbruch and his team corrected my right tibia by 30 degrees. It is now completely straight.

I was running again – slowly – by January 2012. I went on to run a marathon in 3:15 and a half marathon in 1:25, both personal records. The physical therapy team at the HSS rehabilitation center deserves real credit for getting me back on my feet and active again in only a few months.

Dr. Rozbruch did what others had told me was impossible or too risky, and it changed my life. My only regret is that I did not find him sooner and have the surgery at 18 instead of 32.

I had also had a bowleg deformity for as long as I could remember, and it was another source of knee pain, especially when I ran. I worried it would lead to arthritis and eventually a knee replacement – and that it would take running and cycling away from me for good.

I went back to Dr. Rozbruch, who explained that he could treat the condition with a less invasive surgery that would properly align my legs. I had a bilateral osteotomy to straighten my bowlegs: the left leg in October 2016 and the right leg seven weeks later, in December.

With Dr. Rozbruch's consent and encouragement, I was in the pool within three weeks of surgery, even on crutches. Four weeks after the second surgery, I was on the spin bike.

I started physical therapy at HSS shortly after the second surgery, working with Julie Khan and Jeremy Bales. They did a great job teaching me how to rebuild strength and improve flexibility in my legs. I was cycling outdoors by May 2017 and running outdoors in June.

In September 2017, I completed a one-day Rim to Rim hike of the Grand Canyon. In December 2017, about one year after surgery, I ran my first race back – a half marathon at a 6:33 pace, finishing 19th overall. It was not a record for me, but I had minimal discomfort, and I still had the plates in my legs at the time.

Dr. Rozbruch removed the plates in an outpatient procedure in mid-December 2017. After a few weeks of rest, I went back to running and cycling. On May 19, 2018, I ran another half marathon at a 6:22 pace with no discomfort at all.

I am grateful to Dr. Rozbruch and his team at HSS for the care I received before and after both surgeries. I am telling my story because I saw what is possible when the answer is not "stop running," "there is nothing we can do" or "have another knee surgery." I hope other people living with limb deformities and similar problems find their way to this kind of care – and I am looking forward to enjoying my legs, and many more races, for years to come.