New Lisfranc Injury

dontgivup · Newbie Joined: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 1

WOW !!! just read all of these responses, and I DON'T FEEL SO BAD !! I obtained a lisfranc fracture and dislocation 1-2-3 metatarsals 2 yrs ago, have been in the or 17 times for pain management spinal morphine trials, sympathetic nerve blocks, and, oh yes, 7 surgeries. My last surgery was dec 07 - the pain for 2 yrs was so intense, any pain med did not help, because it was nerve entrapment pain. i walked on it broken and dislocated in 3 bones before being correctly diagnosed 3 months later - it kills me how not one doctor will believe your pain, they all think you are drug seeking - i am talking about pain management docs - my last 2 surgeons worked together, correctly fixed it and found out i had a huge neuroma that had formed on the opposire side of the lis franc site, they removed that - 8 scars later the pain is severe, but not like before - for 2 years i screamed every night in pain, i haven't been able to walk on this foot for 2 yrs, am just starting therapy - and this is a girl who wanted to compete in bodybuilding and worked out 6 days a week/ 2 hrs a day. TO ALL OF YOU IN PAIN AND DEPRESSED, HANG IN THERE!!! I AM ON CYMBALTA WITH MY PAIN MEDS WHICH HAS HELPED ME DEAL WITH THE PAIN - BUT I BELIEVE IN HOLISTIC REMEDIES- I TAKE MSM, ACETYL L CARNITINE, OMEGA 3'S PLENTY OF SUPER STRESS B VITS, CELADRIN, GLUCOSAMINE - ETC- AND I MEDITATE ALOT - YOUR MIND CONTROLS YOUR BODY - NOT VICE VERSA - READ THE COURSE IN MIRACLES, KNOW YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH WITHIN YOU TO GET THROUGH THIS.
I AM A SINGLE MOM - ALL OF MY FRIENDS BECAME NON- EXISTENT - I MADE IT ON MY OWN THRU THIS - PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP - YOU ARE WORTH THE FIGHT, PAIN IS A TEST - SHOW IT WHO'S IN CONTROL!!\god bless all of you !! LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP - I ALSO DID THIS - ' JUST WALKING, SLOWLY FROM MY CAR' - UNREAL!!![/b]

drdeb · Newbie Joined: 21 May 2008 Posts: 1

Somebody please help! I have been hobbling around in a boot for 3 months now, originally diagnosed with a bad sprain in my foot 5 months ago.It feels like my foot has been crushed.I was just diagnosed last week with LisFranc sprain of the 1st & 2nd cuneifrom with diastasis.I was told this was a very serious injury that could take a year to heal.Everything I read says you need surgery to correct the problem.This week the doctor says I will be fitted for orthotics,to stay off it ,hang in there and he'd see me next month.He wouldn't consider surgery yet because it involves bone fusion.Can someone please tell me what is going on,do I need the surgery or what.Also, does anyone know how much it costs collectively(surgery and all) to treat one of these injuries?

okmis83 · Posted: 05/22/08 - 17:45 Post subject:

Hey drdeb,

Sorry to hear about your injury. I was playing soccer at the beginning of February and suffered a Lisfranc injury. As you read these and any other blogs, I hope you notice that not every Lisfranc injury is the same, therefore people are treated differently. Also, different doctors have different opinions on how to correct the issue. My injury consists of fractures in the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals, 3 cuneiforms, and the cuboid, as well as a torn ligament located under the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals.

If you read information on the injury, you may also find what I found to be fairly common, that this is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed injuries. One thing that was stressed in the diagnosis is that the x-rays MUST be weight bearing in order to see if there is displacement of the bones. My weight bearing x-rays showed displacement between the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals, which led to a CT scan showing the 6 fractures and the torn ligament.

It is also important to go to an orthopedic specialist. Both doctors I saw said there is a common guideline that is followed. That is if the displacement between bones is 2mm or greater, surgery is recommended to fix that. Mine was right at 2mm. The doctor I saw in Oklahoma (where I injured it), did not recommend surgery, but instead just being in a cast and letting time and non weight bearing heal it. The doctor who performed my mom's foot surgery back home in Chicago said it could go either way, but if I wanted the best chance for recovery, going back to my active lifestyle, and avoiding arthritis issues in the future, he recommended surgery. Regarding surgery, all doctors involved said that if action was going to be taken, the sooner it could be done, the better off things would be.

I had the first surgery to have bone fragment removed and a screw put in my foot on February 26 and put in a splint. Two weeks after that, the stitches were removed and I was put into an aircast/walking boot, but was to remain non weight bearing. At this time I also started therapy.

On Tuesday, May 13, I was able to start weight bearing on the foot. The doctor had me go straight into shoes with crutches (didn't even have to use the walking boot). After 2 days of that, I was down to 1 crutch, and a day or so after that, I was able to handle walking without crutches. It is about a week and a half later now, and I am walking with only a slight limp and the only discomfort is coming from the muscular atrophy from not using my leg/foot for that long. I even hopped on my bike and biked about 8 miles the other day.

I have the second (and final) surgery tomorrow morning to have the screw removed from my foot. I expect to get back into my active lifestyle of playing sports, biking, snowboarding, etc...

So far, everything in the process has gone extremely well. I attribute this to my doctor's work, my young body (24), and following the doctor's orders to the T. The hardest part for me wasn't the pain, it was thinking about how long I would be unable to do normal things like walking, as well as all of the activities I was involved in before the injury.

I hope this helped. If you'd like, email me and I can give you more information about my surgeon as well as the costs that I've had for this.

Almost fixed,
Okmis83

New Lisfranc Injury

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