Lisfranc Foot Fracture Stories

After the walking boot came off did anyone else experience pain in their foot? I have constant pain when i walk on my foot. Its not the pain that i am used to though. It more like a soreness. It feels stiff when i walk. I hope someone has experienced this and has a soultion. Please help!

Hi all! I hope everyone is doing well still. Thanks alot Pace2sun. Just hearing that someone else has had numbness makes me feel better. I guess I just dont know what to expect on this. Hopefully I will get this cast off when I go back to the doc on Nov. 21. He told me when I was in the hospital that I should get it off in a month and then back to the lovely walking boot.(which I hate) The pain at night is still there but not as bad. Last night I took some arthritis strenght tylenol and it seemed to help more than the prescription pain meds. So I finally got some sleep. The part that gets me the most is the sitting around. I have 3 very active boys and they are constantly needing to go,go,go. And seeing how it is my right foot I have to enlist help from my inlaws. But I am thankful that I do have someone to help with them. My husband helps alot around the house when he gets home from work but I just feel so useless at times. Hopefully all will go well when I go back to the doc and he will take this big pink cast off my leg!
I am ready for the dry skin. Two of my sons have had a cast on their arms and it was sooo awful. I felt like crying when I saw it. But after a few good washings it was back to normal. Hopefully this foot will be too.
Thanks again for the help.

Karen

Guest: I have definitely been experiencing a lot of pain and soreness while trying to walk again. I just did my first therapy visit 4 days ago, and they pointed out that my big toe barely moves, and my achilles and calf muscles are so tight that I can barely get my heel down on the floor anymore. I am trying to fight through the pain, but it's very difficult. I agree that it's a different kind of pain than I have experienced before. My foot is very sore, and it feels like I should be avoiding putting weight on it, as opposed to pushing it this hard. I guess it's just going to take time.

Karen: I totally understand the feelings you are experiencing. I feel completely worthless around the house. Thankfully, I don't have any kids, but my poor husband is having to do pretty much everything. I was pretty depressed for a while because everybody else was going out and having fun, and I had no desire to do much of anything since I was on crutches. I have more hope now that I am done with all of my surgeries, but I am still on crutches, and still having trouble walking, so it can be hard sometimes. I am just hoping this will all resolve itself in the near future.

I do have some questions for everyone though: My therapist says that I have very little range of motion in my big toe, so she has me pulling my toe up towards my ankle to try and stretch it out. It hurts a great deal though, and it doesn't feel like pain from a normal stretch. It honestly feels like my toe is about to snap in half. I am wondering if anyone else has had this issue with their toe, and if so, is there any other exercise that I can try? Pulling my toe back is just excrutiatingly painful. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, the day that my hardware was removed, I asked my doctor how long it would be before I would be down to one crutch. He said it should only be about one week. Well, it's been over 2 wks since that surgery, and I'm still on 2 crutches. I have tried walking with one crutch, but it hurts alot, and I end up limping heavily. I feel like I need to stay on 2 crutches until my muscles build up. Since my achilles/calf area is so tight, I cannot get the normal motion of walking down yet. How long did it take everyone else to get down to one crutch or even a cane? I'm starting to think I'm behind in my progress, and I'm wondering if I'm not pushing myself enough. Just curious.

Hi Everyone,
On Aug 7 I fell through the attic ceiling to the floor below...about 8 feet. My lisfranc injury was caught in the ER and surgery was performed that day. I just got my hard cast off on 7 Nov and started weight bearing in an air cast. The doctor wanted another 4 weeks of non weight bearing but I just couldn't handle another 4 weeks. I had already developed tendonitis in my forearms and elbows from the crutches. I have had a lot of pain across my mid foot and my foot is still swollen to 1.5 times the normal size. I thought the swelling would go down when I started weight bearing....the swelling doesn't even appear to go down after I have slept all night. My doctor has given me 6 months to determine if any more surgery will be required. I will be starting physical therapy in 4 weeks. When I can walk without crutches, I will be progressing to the hard soled shoes. This is just like learning to walk all over again. Trying to be careful of re-injury and yet be independent. I am hoping for good results but based on the Doctor's opinion, I am prepared for a not so good outcome. I appreciate all of the posts and information.

Msliz,
Sorry to hear of your injury. I know it is discouraging for your recovery to take so long, but do listen to your doctor. Sounds like you have a good one! If he doesn't want you weight-bearing, don't do it. I experienced more swelling when I started weight-bearing, and it was an indication of not enough elevation (time-wise) and too much activity. Take it slow and easy. It might save you more down time in the long run.

My therapist used something that I think was ultrasound on my foot when I first started going and was of course using my foot a whole lot more than in several months. That treatment helped reduce the swelling, and then his working it reduced it further so I could do the other activities to get my foot working again.

Yes, recovery time is long, but hang in there!

I went for my 2nd therapy visit today, and I asked how long it would be until I would be down to one crutch or a cane, and she is targeting another 4-8 wks. My dr told me 3 wks ago that I should be on one crutch within one week post hardware removal. I couldn't believe it. She said my foot feels like there is mud in there from all the scar tissue and swelling. It is just so frustrating, but I am trying to be patient. I asked her if there was anything I could have done while I was non weight bearing to have prevented all of this post immobilization damage, but she said there really wasn't. She confirmed that my doctor was right to keep me off my foot for so long, and all we can do now is try to repair the damage. I just really feel like I am behind in my progress, but I guess everyone's degrees of injuries are different. It looks like I have a long road ahead of me.

Healing is definately a long road, I am learning more and more each day. At my last appt, my doctor gave me a work release (3 months post surgery...one month after pins removed). I thought I was ready to go back, and some days I still think I am. I start back on Monday. Some times though I hurt so much still that I wonder if I can go back to work and if I will be able to. I am on my feet about 60% of worktime, and don't know if I will be able to do it. After physical therapy, especially, I am so sore. Now, with limited activity, my foot is still very swollen at the end of the day. I guess all I can do is try to go back and if it doesn't work, it doesnt work.
My doctor said at my last appt that most people are back to normal three to four months after getting hardware out, but he said that mine was so severe that it will be eight to twelve month until I am able to walk without a limp.
This has been one hell of an injury!

hye

im 9 months onwards...

majorly sucky, but hang in there, im not out of sh*t woods yet, still need screws out and now added problems with money and the country im in!!

but back to pain ect

your calf wil grow back!!
i stil lhave pain everyday, some worse than others, but you do just learn to deal with it. im really careful with shoe selection but i probably do more than i should being 22 yo and traveling in the UK... on my feet all day!!
im hopeing some of this pain will go away with screw removal but only time will tell
my DR said this was a 18month full reovery process basicly.... half way there!!!

I was in a car accident Oct 6th and sustained a lisfranc dislocation. The doctor said all of my metatarsals were dislocated and the fifth metatarsal was on top of the rest of them...ew!! I was put into a splint and had surgery the next morning. It was a closed reduction and i had one pin put in my foot. I was in a cast for 4 weeks and then the pin was removed and i was told i have to have my second cast on for another 4 weeks with no weightbearing! I am 6 weeks into the whole ordeal and honestly i am going crazy not being able to get around normally! I have put some weight on my foot, despite my doctor's recommendation (bad me) but there is no pain, just a subtle ache in the muscles. From what i have read on this site i don't think my injury is as severe as a lot of other's....when did everyone start putting weight on their foot??

I started walking unassisted two weeks after I had the pins removed. I had an infection though, so if I hadn't has an infection it probably would have been a week after.

Trixy: Be careful putting weight on your foot before the dr has cleared you to do so. I begged my dr to let me start partial weight bearing, but he said it was a risk I shouldn't be taking. He basically told me that it could make the healing process longer, and I could also do more damage. I sympathize with your frustration as I was non weight bearing from July 7th until I had my hardware removal on October 25th. I am down to one crutch now, but the process has been long and extremely frustrating. I am improving, but learning to walk again normally has put a lot of extra strain on my entire leg and foot because I have no muscle tone, and also still quite a bit of swelling. I am glad that I did what my doctor told me to do because I am confident that my injury itself is now fully healed, so I don't fear reinjury when pushing myself in therapy, even though it's very painful and difficult at times. Good luck with your recovery. It's a long road, but eventually, you start to see progress.

Somethingmore: I hope going back to work has gone ok for you. I was fortunate that I have a desk job, so I didn't have to take very much time off work, and it wasn't too bad when I did go back since my job isn't really physically demanding. The worst part for me was getting in and out of the building, and going to and from the restrooms. My office isn't exactly handicapped friendly, so I had a lot of difficulty balancing on my crutches while trying to use security badges and brut force to try and open our heavy doors. I am getting through it though, and each day it is getting easier.

My therapy is going pretty well, but everytime I think I am getting close to normal, I just compare my range of motion to my other foot, and I see that I still have a long way to go. They just let me go down to one crutch last week, but I still have difficulty at times, and find I have to grab the other crutch if I am planning on walking a lot. I went Christmas shopping this weekend, and my foot was killing me by the end of it all. It was just exhausting and depressing at the same time. I just want to be normal again. I have a vacation planned in mid January, and I asked the therapist if I would be walking without crutches by then, and he just said I should be on a cane by then. I was hoping I wouldn't need anything by then, but I guess, once again, I'm not being realistic. I also had to buy a new pair of shoes because once I was taken out of the boot, I found that none of my shoes fit anymore. After trying on multiple pairs, I finally found one pair of tennis shoes that would accommodate my huge, swollen foot in a size 11. They are pretty comfortable, but I don't know what I'm going to do once the snow falls...I don't think I could manuever my foot into a boot at this point. Hopefully, the swelling will go down soon. This injury has just been a complete a nightmare!

Work is really sucking. By the end of the day my foot kills and is sooo big. Therapy three times a week is helping, but like you said, when I feel like I am doing okay, I compare it to my other foot and also realize I have a long ways to go. I am progressing though, slowly but surely...and painfully. Im so afraid of when it gets snowy and icy because even though I am able to get into shoes I am not steady on my feet, and it will be very hard to walk through snow or walk on ice. I wish I could hibernate!

Has anyone used a bone stimulator? I just got one today and I'm supposed to be using it every night for the next 5 weeks. I was just wondering if anyone had any positive/negative experiences with them before.

Also, I have 3 screws but there weren't any broken bones. Do they work on ligaments as well?

My cast comes off tomorrow!!! i am super excited!!!

I was in an auto accident on Nov 7th and had surgery on my Lisfranc Fracture on Nov 9th. I had three screws put in and two pins. Of course as most of you are/were I am not weight bearing until six weeks after the surgery. Because of other bruising, being overweight and out of shape I'm using a walker to try to get around. I am not able to go to my own house because it would not be safe to be there alone and I am not able to do stairs. I did go home over one weekend when my husband knew he would be home the whole time but he had to bring me up the stairs in a wheel chair. My husband is on call a lot of weekends and is also taking Firefighting classes once weekend a month. Luckily, my mother's appartment has been working fine. It is all on one floor and the shower is easy enough to get in and out of. It's so frustrating to not be able to do anything for myself. Anytime I'm hungry or thirsty... I'm sure I don't need to explain in details because you probably already know what it's like. Really bless my mother for taking me in and caring for me.

I keep my foot elevated at all times although I did go out with the family to do some Christmas shopping the other day. That was a big job and when I came back home I was wiped out. When I returned my foot was huge! It took about 12 hours for it to look like it did before I left.

Everyone's experiences on here have been so different and that freaks me out a bit. I was sent home after my surgery with this fiberglass splint that looks like it's too big but apparently it's not. Also the straps keep falling apart and the velcro pieces they put keep coming off. Most of the time my foot doesn't even stay in the splint the way it's supposed to. I am fortunate to have services from Visiting Nurses. I have a PT come in to my mother's home twice a week and we have been doing gentle range of motion exercises. The first time doing ankle pumps hurt so much but it's getting easier. It's been almost a month and my toes are still very bruised and swollen and look like little sausages to me.

I'm scared that my doctor will let me start doing some weight bearring too early. From what everyone here has been saying and according to alot of the websites I've visited most suggest eight to twelve weeks non weight bearring. I'll be sure to talk to him when I go to get the pins removed on Dec 18th.

The pins have been another thing that bothers me. After having out the stiches two weeks post op I was given the okay to shower my foot. I was happy and scared but I'm getting use to it and don't find it as bothersome anymore. I am scared that it gets infected but I imagine it can't be worse than piercings that a lot of people get.

Thank you all for posting on here. It's nice to know I'm not alone. Good Luck to all of you.

Belinda