Is full recovery possibe from a lisfranc fracture?

Hi, im had an acciden mid may this year and had ORIF surgery with four screws. It was a bad accident and in addition to lis franc fracture i fractured that same ancle, and shattered the other one, i was in a wheelchair for about 6 week before i could walk with crutches and the big aircasts on both feet. I am now walking fairly normally with rocker soled shoes (recommend MBT shoes to anyone in a recovery state of this injury!!), but with a big limp if im not wearing the shoes. Currently i am so far ahead of the planned progression that my surgeon is both amazed and i think a little worried. I my self am worried about the screws breaking, because i chose to put weight on the foot with them in. I would like to stress that i am super careful about how and where i walk, and i absolutely do not put any weight on the mid or forefoot. As long as this approach does not backfire with any consequences, i feel confident that walking and using the foot is a good thing because it generates blood flow witch again helps the injury heal faster. If anyone have any experience pushing the limit a little, as far as walking a bit early, or any experiences where the screws have broken or in other ways backfired, i would be happy to know about it! If it turns out i am pushing it too far and can expect one of the screws to break at some point before they come out, i will of course stop what i am doing and go back to NWB

Hi, im really happy to finally read a happy story about the lis franc fracture. Event though you are not 100%, 95% seems pretty nice to me compared to a lot of the stories i find here, I am currently 2 months post surgery and trying to recover. Things are going so well that i am worried its too good and will at some point backfire on me. I am currently fully weight bearing, but really stressing not to put any weight on the forefoot, just heel. Given that your story is such a positive one in this company, a am really curios to hear some more details about the progression and the time it took from the stage where you started to put weight on it, and all the way to where you are allmost 100% again. Thanks in advance for reply! I am a 80kg 26yo male and im very active, so i have good chance of a goog recovery

Hey, glad to hear that your recovery is going so well. hope it has continued that way. did you, or have you had the screws removed yet, or are you still running around with them in? did you have the fusion operation?

1st & 2nd metatarsal fracture/dislocation no surgery update:

Today is week 6 and my cast came off today. I was sent home with no boot which surprised me. Dr. said to walk with crutches, gradually putting weight on my heel for the next 4 weeks and stay off the ball of my foot. If I'm in a lot of pain he said to call him and he will put me in a boot otherwise he said the boot is to awkward to try to walk on the heel. Sounds kinda weird to me but ok.

Foot is red and pretty swollen. I'm not sure I can find a shoe to put it in:) Dr said swelling may last another 3 months or so.

No shoe for that foot follow his instructions.. I never had a cast. Just a support until stitches were removed then a walking book with no weight baring . Only rest heel on floor. Until my follow up X-ray one non weight baring then one baring some weight. Once cleared PT
Swelling lasts quite a while. Elevate... watch out for compartment syndrome... good luck

Thank you. My Dr. said swelling could last 3 months:(

What is compartment syndrome? I'm off to google.

It been 114 days since I injured my foot and first heard the word Lisfranc. In that time I have learnt how a split second can have you wondering if you will ever walk right again. If so how long will it take. I can now finally put 50% weight on my foot in a cam boot. It is a slow road and I would of preferred to break my leg than my foot. I don't think this injury is as rare as it is made out to be. I know personally of 5 people that have it. It is just one horrible injury and takes so long to get over. We cant live our lives in fear however this is one injury I never want to get again and if I get over this one as well as I hope to than I will so appreciate how good it is to walk. To one of the latest victims Kelly Slater well just goes to show you even in water there is something that can break this part of your body wish him all the best.

It's been 9 months since my complicated Liz franc injury I am a 41yr old male and I feel 95% healed , no more dreaded limp. This is definitely an injury I never want to experience again! After my operation I googled recovery times and what this injury is all about as I had never heard of it and all the stories are doom and gloom, with stories of 3 yrs, 6 yrs in and still can't walk properly etc. This was the first time in 15 years I broke down and cried as my Liz franc seemed worse than the ones I was reading about being complicated and broken in many more places, being held together with 6 screws and a plate 2 being very large intrusive screws. I also had a hand operation and the other ankle was just sprained so I was in an electric wheel chair for the first month. It was very hard loosing what I have always taken for granted, picking up hugging my kids, walking, showering with ease etc. you really don't understand and appreciate it until you loose it. It gave me a new perspective on disabled people and how hard it must be for people who have no or little chance of recovery stuck in a wheel chair or a bed for the rest of their lives. I was so angry at this injury I wanted it fast tracked but you can't initially as you need to be patient for a few months and let heal non weight bearing. After this I elected to do aggressive physio which my physio was hesitant in doing and rang my surgeon who said that's what he wants. It is quite painful but you get results and heal faster. After getting the metal out of my foot it was like going backwards again but healed much faster than the initial op. I was walking unassisted in 4 months but with a big limp which gradually went away with my aggressive physio. I thought I'd share my story as it's not all gloom and doom for everyone and I wish the others with this injury a speedy recovery which is still months unfortunately but not always years. Stay strong and think what's 12-16 weeks out of your entire life which is what my surgeon told me.

Thanks for your words of encouragement. I was thinking 95% would be good to reach. When you first start out non weight bearing you feel so lost but you are right there are people that are stuck in chairs for heir whole life. Your surgeon seems a bit more positive than mine, he told me basically doom and gloom but then reading some of the success stories like yours it gives hope. My injury happened at work a fall from 8 feet onto one foot. What was the cause of yours?

Its not hard to start crying when you read the recoveries or lack of them on this injury. There are good stories out there and don't let things get in your way of healing. I am five months out now and my foot improves each day. Though not trying to push things the worst pain I have in trying to walk without crutches is in the ankle. I have good range back in it after many hours of turning stretching and flexing I think in deep it is still sore from not walking on it for months. According to your post I am about 2 months ahead of you. I feel bad for you that you missed your vacation I know how that feels I had one planned for this month but couldn't go due to needing to be able to walk up and down hills cant see that happening for some time. It was funny that an injury that happened 5 months ago is still a problem. Take care of that foot and take it slow and don't let Lisfranc get in your head.

I have 1 screw and plate on my foot. I have the same question as you. I was non weight bearing for 8 weeks, now I am limping hi I don't feel pain where the screws are, my foot just get swollen and is weak. My doctor told that they will take it out so I can have more mobility I just don't know when.

I don't think a lot of people would not still read these posts from 4 years ago. I could be wrong but after that time most should be out living their lives and forgetting they ever had a lisfranc injury. I had 2 screws inserted across the first 3 joints into the cuneiforms to push the joints together. I also had 3 k wires put in through the 1st 3rd and 5th metatarsals to line the bones up. These went into the cuneiforms. All this was removed at 14 weeks. I was NWB for all that time plus 2 weeks after to allow for healing of the holes. Now at 18 weeks I can walk with moon boot without crutches though still not allowed to walk without boot until next follow up. The surgeon classed it as severe I had 4 fractures and the lisfranc ligament was torn away from the bone. The bones fracturing causes the dislocation. I am now hoping it heals well and I can get back at least 80% of function and skip the arthritis no body has time for that. In the early days I was so depressed and the stories in here do not help and the face book club is no better it is just one mean injury. From what I have read avoid the fusion as long as you can it has its own demons one thing I want to keep doing is walking over uneven ground I hear this is very difficult with fusion. Well that's my story I added a lot in because most don't and people who read this want to compare their injury for a guide to their recovery and not all lisfranc's are created equal. As for my recovery its rehab that has helped. I do all the exercises 4 times a day and will add to them as I can walk better. I walk a lot to regain what you lose NWB I figure you only have one shot to get this right you have to trick your ligaments into thinking they are not healed fully and keep pushing your limits so they keep healing stronger.

This is an injury that never goes away. Well it does and then you think you are in the clear and you get the same one to the other foot. Or is that just me. I was 9 months out from my lisfranc injury then got the same thing on the other foot. Not it the same way my last one was from a car running over my foot broke three metatarsals. This time I was helping my elderly neighbour and tripped over a small hole in his front yard and fell forwards with my foot folding upwards and breaking two metatarsals and tearing the lisfranc ligament. That was two weeks ago and here I sit wondering if this surgery will also work as well and the time will go faster this tome round. To all those still recovering good luck to you all.

I am up to almost six months broke the base of four Metatarsals and tore lisfranc ligament off the bone. Just out of cam boot and walking ok with pain though seems to be easing slowly. Only using asics with an orthotic. Took alot of pt to regain range of motion with toes and ankle. I spent up to three hours a day just massaging and doing the exercises prescribed by pt. Also pool walking has helped. There is hope if you let it heal then take it step by step but be disciplined with walking and stretching exercises push through pain in pays off.

I did my lisfranc about 9 weeks ago after a mate drunkenly tried to bear hug me to the ground:) Nothing malicious, just his 100kgs on my 65kg frame caused my foot to roll inwards and the rest is history. Unfortunately I was on an Island so by the time I got to hospital 4 days later the swelling was too bad to operate so I waited 3 more weeks for surgery. This may have been a blessing as I ended up getting the best surgeon I could and one who specialises in lisfranc. I had the fixation with 4 screws - 2 across the lisfranc one up my big toe and one near the side of my foot. I think I had 4mm separation. I have been NWB and in cast or moonboot for 8 weeks. Next week I see my surgeon and hopefully move onto my weight bearing exercises.

This injury sux and is so debilitating! I am 46yr male and very active. I was nearly done with a renovation on my house so being able to do little is very frustrating with all my spare time :) I guess being 65kgs helps as I can manage crutches ok although my carpal tunnel surgery doesn't agree. BTW - I only recently purchased an iWalk 2.0 and if you are still a while away from weight bearing, I highly recommend googling this hands free walking aid.

In summary, I too have read nothing but horror stories on this and similar websites and wondering how healthy it is to read to much of other peoples stories as everyone is different. I also suspect people who have recovered well from lisfranc don't get on these websites because they have been able to get on with the lives. Fingers crossed I have had little pain from my injury and surgery. I have been very diligent with the NWB side as I don't want to drag this process out longer than it has to be. I did my research and prepared well prior to surgery so I knew what to expect and looking forward to my coming weeks where I can say bye to crutches. Trying to stay positive.

Too all those people who are still suffering mths and yrs after surgery, I wish you the best and hope things improve quicker than slower.

To the guy that just did his other foot - you need to stop helping little old ladies :) mate that sux and I would be devastated. You know what to expect and hopefully you have some good hobbies to keep your mind active. I learnt how to service my fishing reels (all 40 of them) so I there has been some rewards for me.

I will post again in a few weeks time when I am hopefully fishing again but good luck to all in the meantime.