Lisfranc Foot Fracture Stories

Hey there musictch,
I am really happy for you that you are doing better. Funny you should mention quiliting, I was just looking at some REALLY beautiful patterns in some books, and trying to get some really good use out of my sewing machine.
You said you had a rash, and that your doc thought the boot was irritating it, mine did the same thing, but the incision opened up so he suspected it was the boot irritating my incision as well, not to mention the summer starting back up. Things will get better soon.
God bless you lets keep our heads up !!!
Hizgrace

Hey, Hizgrace,

Besides having been stationed in FL, are you originally from the south? I recognize the "hey!" Our southern relatives use it all of the time, and y'all as well.

The head is up. We can be thankful that we're not in the humid, hot south this summer. Somehow, boots and casts would be merciless there unless one stayed inside, and then cabin fever might get the better of us. I feel for those of our compadres who are not in our mild CA climate.

Thanks for the info on your rash. I guess I'll find out on Tues. In the meantime, I'm trying to endure the horrible itch and to keep down the swelling.

Take care, and be careful! And do consider some quilting. I'm trying a kaliedoscope pattern, and fortunately, the pieces are already cut. I could get it done in a hurry if I got my machine out, but then my foot wouldn't be up, so I'm doing it by hand. Don't you wonder what others do to keep from going stir-crazy?

Hi Again,

Ok, you got me ... I was raised in Georgia to Florida to California to Japan to Florida then NOW IN CAL... praise the Lord for LITTLE HUMIDITY.. thank you for reminding me of the blessing that the Lord gave by not having to "brave" the sweltering heat and humidity. Here in San Diego, it is certainly pretty and DRY. My mom in law quilts, so I think I may bother her to teach me. We will be going on a womens retreat in september, so maybe before then.

I was giggling to myself when you mentioned the thought of using your machine, but then your foot wouldnt be up, I was doing laundry today in my wheel chair thinking the same thing as I passed my "sewing room". You know, I had thought of taking some online college courses, of course that might take more effort. Ok, I wont be lazy. God bless you MUCH, and thank you SOOOOOO much for your encouragement. I wonder how much of us actually are having these "creative-what can I do-before I go crazy" thoughts. Ha Ha.

Hizgrace

Happy Sunday!

I'm glad you're planning on attending a retreat. That should be good for you in body, soul, and spirit.

My husband is from GA, and we are missing our yearly vacation back there. I'm not missing the heat and humidity, however. Today, here in Long Beach, I've been reminded in a small way of what we are missing.

I hope your home has wide enough doors to accommodate your wheelchair easily. I've wondered how others cope with getting around their homes. My husband is doing the wash, but then, he has a love affair with the washing machine and dryer. At least, I can help fold the clothes.

You'll have to keep us updated as you start your weightbearing. I'd be interested in knowing what your therapy is like as well.

Blessings on you as well! :-D

[I hope your home has wide enough doors to accommodate your wheelchair easily. I've wondered how others cope with getting around their homes.]

I injured my foot last October, had surgery and was non-weight bearing for 16 weeks. My doctor recommended a knee scooter and man what a difference. Crutches didn't allow me to do much, I couldn't carry things, cook, clean, etc. and I'm not one to sit around a whole lot. The knee scooter was a life saver. Less than a week after surgery I was out of town attending a 2 day seminar. I went to WA DC at christmas time and did all the touristy stuff. I even had 2 scooters, one for inside (I live in a split level house) and one that traveled with me. The scooters are easy to find. You can rent or buy one and they're reasonably priced (if you get used ones). I've read other people comment on these devises and I would encourage anyone to get one. They're far more independent than wheel chairs and just as easy, if not easier, than crutches.

Please let me know any info about fusions....here's my story...

I'm a very active 26 yo

Car accident in Dec 2004. The orthopedic surgeon sent me home with a hard cast for "multiple metatarsal fractures" and a fractured ankle. I had a hard cast for 8 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of physical therapy.
After being "released" in april of 2005, I returned to the Dr for nagging midfoot pain by early 2006. After xrays, he said arthritis had set in and to take an NSAID everyday. When I'm "sick of that treatment" steroid injections can be done, and the last resort is to get midfoot fusion.

Disgusted, I wanted a second opinion. I went to a foot and ankle specialist at the end of 2006 and was told that my fracture was classic LIs Franc fracture (the original Dr didn't even diagnose me properly) with breaks in metatarsals 2-4 and arthritis set in between the metatarsals and cuneiform bones which caused the everyday pain. I was told I would need the fusion when the time was right for me ... which was June 29, 2007.
I am so mad that I was mistreated the first time because I hear of all the success stories about early treatment.
I am hoping I can be a fusion success story.
If anyone wants to know my fusion details I'm more that happy to share.
Does anyone have a successful fusion story? I sure hope so.
Thanks for listening -
KT in Chicago

My first Lis Franc injury (Jan 2006) to my left foot never healed correctly and I too had bad mid-foot pain from arthritis. So 1 year later I had that foot fused. The fusion was done back on January 17th of 2007. So it has been about 6 months now for me and all I can say is I am so happy I had it done. No pain what-so-ever now in the mid-foot anymore!! There was a bit of adjusting to walking on a fused foot but that you can overcome in just a few short weeks. I am near the point now that if I am not thinking anything about my foot I almost forget it was in bad shape only a few months ago. I guess the only thing that will never go away is having to wear a wider shoe on that fused foot.



Good luck with your recovery with the foot fusion.

HI FUSION!

Thank you so much for the quick reply. It is wonderful to hear you're doing so well. A few questions for you when you get a chance...



1. What was your healing timeline like? I am non-weightbearing (hard cast) for 6 weeks, if things look ok I will start a walking cast.



2. Did you need physical therapy? I know I will have to work at getting my ankle and calf strength back, but anything specific for the foot?



3. When did the swelling start to die down? I am 11 days post fusion and I can barely stand to have my foot below heart level!





ANy other bits of advice for me?

THanks so much!

KT

KT,

1. I had the walking cast/boot on almost from the beginning. However I was not allowed any weightbearing for about 7 weeks. Even after that the weightbearing was at slow increments. I think it was about week 12 when I could finally walk on it in a shoe, and not in the cast/boot.

2. My doctor wanted me to have physical therapy but since I had a Lis Franc injury the year before my insurance would not cover therapy again. They said it was a "pre-existing condition" However since I did go through therapy the year before I knew what to do.

3. Swelling is going to last for a while. Even when you start walking on it, several weeks from now, the swelling will remain. You will find that when it comes time to do the walking the least amount of swelling is in the mornings. As evening comes about the swelling will come back. The swelling does reduce over the first 8 week but for me it was about 12-14 weeks before I did not have any noticable swelling anymore.

The one thing I can tell you is that when you first start walking on it in a shoe becareful of your footing. You ankle will be picking up the motion that some of your foot use to do. This extra motion can make it a bit easier to trip over things like small stones or lumps in the grass. your ankle will need a few weeks to strengthen and figure out this new walking method.

Hi Kt,

I had a real bad lisfranc injury and had a total of 11 screws, a plate (for fusion) and a bone graft and a gastroc recession for my tendon. My fusion is doing VERY well. I start a 25% weightbearing on thursday. Then he is advancing me 25% every week until I reach 100% of my weight. I am REALLY surprised that your first doctor told you to take NSAIDS. You arent really supposed to be taking those at all with type of injury. I am surprised about his lack of "bedside manner" with telling you what he did about when you are sick of ....... then they can do injections. He should be investigated. I am glad that you had a second opinion.



Things are going very well, just getting along with the healing process. Any questions, just ask. Oh, by the way Extra Strength Tylenol WORKS wonders for any pain. But if the doc has you on ANY Percocet, Vicodin or any other drugs ALREADY having some tylenol in them, DONT take them together, as you will overdose on tylenol. Percocet has acetaminophone and oxycodone, and vicodin has tylenol as well.



Hizgrace

Had a great report from my dr. today. I can put my foot flat on the floor and stand balanced between the two. We are becoming more grateful for the "little" things though now they seem huge! Will get to start therapy as soon as I can get it set up and should be able to start real weightbearing in two weeks. The rash that I have is of unknown origin, but leaving it out in the air was confirmed as the best remedy, although since getting my foot sunburned it has not itched nearly as much.

Most everyone on this site has been helpful and encouraging. This type of injury can really cause a lot of weird diagnoses, but once one finds the right doctor, things seem to go more smoothly. I'm grateful to be on the opposite side of surgery and on the recuperating end.

Thanks for the word about the scooter. I may have to investigate the possiblity of getting one, although I wish it had been recommended for me a long time ago. It may be because of my age (not nearly as young as the rest of you 8-|).

Best wishes and prayers for all.

Musictch

Hey all! I'm a newbie both to the boards and to the injury...

On June 18th, my foot was crushed in a barfight, I was literally just standing against a wall and a 400 (no lie) pound man was punched into me, I broke left to get away and he caught me and my foot on the way down. Basically, if its related to Lisfranc it was messed up in my foot. The first two MT joints were pulverised and the the rest were dislocated. I had my first surgery on the 20th of June, my Dr. put in five pins at that point and I spent the next two weeks in a soft cast. On July 3rd, he pulled three pins, put in one extra and fused my first two MT joints with cadaver bone and four total screws. I just got my first hard cast last week...who knew I would actually prefer the soft casts and splints.

He says in four weeks (from now) I can get the pins out...in an in office procedure. Eww! In five weeks I can switch to the infamous boot and start weight-bearing.

I've been reading your boards all morning, I just want to say thank you for sharing because this process is entirely frustrating and painful and despite my friends and family's best efforts pretty lonely.

For lskahill, I've found I'm able to do some exercises in my calf just with tensing the different muscles in my calf, the more you do it the more you'll be able to isolate different muscles. My Dr. told me that this was fine for me to do and that it might help with PT in the future. Hopefully that helps!

I have a few questions, my Dr. indicated that my screws were going to stay in permanently barring any problems or complications from them...have any of you had that or heard of it?

Also, for the old-timers, I'm a 27 year old professional and heels are a part of my daily dress...how long before those were an option again? My Dr. says there shouldn't be any problems wearing them versus regular shoes once the healing process is over, I'm just wondering what your actual experiences have been?

One more and then I'm done...with this whole boot thing, do you have to sleep in the boot or can it come off for that? I can't imagine sleeping with that massive thing on?

Thanks for posting everyone, it's nice to feel not so alone!!

~Dixi

Hi Dixi,

You're not the only lonely one that's for sure. I'm 2.5 weeks post fusion and since I'm feeling better, I'm bored as hell.

I too am a professional and heels are no longer in my vocabulary. Long story short, I was first injured in 2004, arthritis set in, and most recently I had a fusion with permanent staples and and one large screw in order to get rid of the daily pain (I'll let you know how that works out).

When I was first diagnosed with the arthritis, I was told to wear shoes that have soles that do not bend...ie platform-like shoes, in addion to a steel plate-like orthotic in my gym shoes. The idea is to prevent the foot from bending at the midfoot upon each step. Luckily these "platform" shoes are somewhat popular right now. They really did help relieve some arthiritic pain in the meantime until I found a good time in my life to have the surgery (this summer).

From what I'm told by my surgeon, after the healing process of the fusion, I will still have to wear these specialized shoes and orthotics to prevent future arthritis in other joints in my foot (i too am a very active at 26 yo). I was also told to cut my running down to once a week and focus on biking/eliptical/swimming. He said that while I will be able to run more and wear "normal" shoes without any pain, this will increase my chance of future arthritis in the other joints.

This news was pretty disappointing to me.... I guess I thought the surgery would be a cure all...but that was rather silly thinking, considering the magnitude of the injury and my young age.

SO when I shoe shop, I have to look for shoes with thicker soles, then I pick them up and bend them at the midfoot to see how rigid they are....if they bend, I put them back, but if they are stiff enough, I give them a try. I am still adjusting to the fact that I cannot wear a small heeled pump, but in the grand scheme of things it's not so bad. Life could be much worse I guess. One of the shoes I wore on a daily basis before surgery was a clog shoe by DANSKO. They are a very comfortable shoe, but agin, not exactly a cute pump.

I'm sorry I'm starting to ramble a bit, but hopefully you get my point. I guess I'm still venting a bit too! :)

I cannot wait to get my leg in a boot! I still have 3.5 weeks left with a hard cast, and after sleeping like c**p last night, I'm not sure if I'll make it!

Good Luck with your healing process and let me know how you're doing.

KT

Hi KT!



Thanks for writing back so fast, I completely understand the bored as hell thing, now that my medical bills are rolling in I've stopped shopping online so bored is basically where I'm at.



I read your story, that's awful, I can't believe the original misdiagnosis and the overall behavior of your doctor, I hope that the fusion at least gets you to where you would have been if it had been diagnosed properly the first time, if not better than that. Given the circumstances surrounding your current treatment, I would suggest that you consult with a medical malpractice attorney if you haven't already, you shouldn't have to pay for your current treatment or your previous treatment really.



That's interesting about the heels bending at the midpoint, as soon as I read your response I hobbled up the stairs and checked out my heels, I'd say a good percentage of them fall into the "non-bendy" category...that's something!! It doesn't take too much these days to get me excited, and if it involves shoes (I have a slight shoe addiction) so much the better. Don't worry about the rambling, it wasn't rambling at all, I can't imagine how frustrating your situation has been, and for a young woman, the loss of cute shoes is tough!



Sleeping with the cast is a production, it's worse than the soft cast and splint I had before. I'm hoping I don't have to sleep with the boot, that just seems impossible. Though, regardless of what I have to do with the boot, I know I can shower without it and I have to say, I can't wait for that first shower minus the wrappings, that thought alone is getting me through the next five or so weeks.



I hope you are able to get some quality sleep tonight!!



Take care,

~Dixi







Question for anyone out there, has anyone been put on the Roll-a-bout? My doctor prescribed one for me when I return to work (next week) and I'm finding it all very cumbersome, is it something you all have found to actually be convenient?

Hi Dixi,



Good luck with your recovery as well.

As for the screws being left in permanently, mine are in that way. With foot fusion the doctors can leave them in since the foot will no longer bend at the mid-foot. People that get Lis Franc repairs without fusion usually have their screw taken out. If no one told me I had 4 screws in my foot I would not even know there are there.