Leg Contractures and a Last Back Scar Photo

A blog reader had a great question.  She was wondering what I mean when I'm talking about Mason's leg contractures.  I really don't have a great explanation without pictures so here are a bunch from this morning.  As you can see just from the first photo, Mason's legs do not stay stretched out on their own.  His right leg tends to be pulled up even further than the picture shows, but this is a good representation.  His right leg has the worst contractures.

Here is a view of Mason's right leg.  What I am doing is rolling his hip in so it is not frogged out and then trying to push it down into a straight position.  I'm pushing pretty firmly and it won't budge.  Six months ago it would have straightened pretty well.  Over a period of a month it went to about half this angle when Mason hit a growth spurt.  It has continued to get worse.

Here is a view of Mason's right foot.  I am attempting to push his foot flat like it would be to wear a shoe or stand on the floor.  This is as far as his foot will go, pointed like a ballerina a ways.  It, too, changed very rapidly.  When he was little this foot was so flexible.  Then it started only going to a flat position, then over the same month as the hip it stopped going flat at all.  Mason cannot wear regular shoes because his foot won't fit in them. 

Here is a view of Makayla holding Mason's left leg, hip rolled in, attempting to straighten it flat.  It goes much straighter, as you can see.  What you cannot see, or feel through a photo, is the tightness and tension in the hip.  It is beginning to contract and getting it this straight takes a good bit of pressure.

Here is me holding that left foot and trying to flatten it.  This foot is no longer flexible and is progressively getting worse too. 

These contractures began rapidly during a growth spurt because Mason's spinal cord is tethered.  Usually the spinal cord is floating around in the spinal vertebrae.  His has stuck to the scar tissue from his back closure because he's missing part of several vertebrae.  When the spinal cord is stretched tight like this it causes neurological symptoms and ultimately does permanent damage.  The detethering surgery Mason has on Monday will hopefully remove this underlying problem. 

That will still leave us with tendons and muscles that have contracted, or shortened.  Mason will probably need surgeries on the right hip, right foot, and left foot to lengthen or release those tightened muscles and tendons, followed by casts.  We don't know the details on those surgeries and won't until his tethered cord is fixed and things heal.  There is a possibility that some intense physical therapy will stretch the left foot back out and make some gains on the right hip and foot.  We will talk all that over with the orthopedic surgeon when we get to that point. 

To change topics for a moment - I wanted to share here photos of Mason's back as it looks today.  If you read back through the first year of his life we tried to update photos of his back scar as he grew.  With the surgery on Monday we will once again have healing to do and what is pale and much less noticeable now will become an angry red slash again.  I want these pictures to remind me that scars fade in time.

I took these picture in the middle of the day today.  Mason thought I was quite silly trying to fold down his pants and diaper, have him sit still, and take a picture from behind him.  And yes, he is the most handsome, cheerful little man.

Here is a close up of the scar.  Parts of it are original, from the day of his birth.  The outer ends were smoothed out surgically last May.  He does have feeling all along the scar and a little below it. 

Here it is from further away to give you better perspective on where it is.  I don't know where his new scar will take over the old one, or how much of the old one will be left.  The new one may be vertical instead.  It really all depends on Dr. G! 

Well, if you've read through this long post I thank you!  I hope that some of what I share here helps others.  As always, if you have any questions for me feel free to ask!  You can leave a comment or email me at tdrowlee1 AT gmail DOT com.