LISFRANC FOOT

Hello, I can so related to the Lisfranc problems......
I fell April 27th and broke my foot, I heard it pop and felt extreme pain. The emerg room Dr. told me to call an Ortho Surgeon the following Monday. The following Monday I had XRays and a MRI, told me I would need surgery as I had a Lisfranc Midfoot Fracture. The following week I had the surgery May 10th, the DR. put 3 screws in my foot. The pain followng my sugerty was soooo very painful. I saw the Dr yesterday and he took out the stitches, I am still experiencing pain in my foot. The swelling has gone done some, but I still have some burning and tingling. I am now wearing the boot, which is fine. I did not want a cast. I have to wait another 4 weeks until I can put weight on my foot. By the time I walk, it will be almost 8 weeks without walking. I have a toddler, and I am very must used to be on the go.... so sittling around is tough! I'm still off work, as I find it helpful to elivate my foot thru out the day. SO, anyone who has gone thru this Lisfranc injury..... I so understand. It's a very painful NOT FUN thing to go thru. My Dr. is not going to take out the screws, unless the cause me problems. We'll have to wait & see. I also hear I might have life long problems from this injury. I'm looking forward so much to walking again, but I'm scared for the pain. :

Finally, I can see some light! It doesn't feel like I'm walking on a balloon that is just constant pain. I've had to stretch my muscles/ligaments out as they were starting to seize up. Ice is good too!

SKH I'm still curious, did you have weight bearing x-rays where they made you stand on your foot to identify displacement or could they see it in the regular x-rays?

Welcome to the rare lisfranc club! Aren't we lucky?!?!....

I'll try to post some websites that I have found that explain more about this injury.

Keep your foot up, Kelly

It's nice to know I'm not alone here with this pain & suffering. I'm really trying to stay postive, some days it's tough. I'm so looking forward to walking again. I'm counting down.... I have 4 more weeks.

I had the weight bearing X-Rays to see the extent of the displacement, I'm pretty sure it was somewhat visble in the regular X-Rays, though on my second opinion the Dr. was not going to do surgery until he had the chance to see my MRI, as it showed more damage.

Did you have surgery? Are you now walking? Have you had any type of thearpy?

I'm on my third bottle of pain pills, just very discourged about the amount of pain I still have.

Take care,
SKH

I had my whole foot dislocated Aug 2004 while playin football (american). I say whole foot because all the metatarsals ( plate ) was sheared off, and all the little bones surrounding were dislocated. If not for my playing shoe the big bone at the base of my big toe would have shot through my foot. I had K wires at first because docs here ( UK ) were not sure if the damage could even be repaired because it was so bad. They said it was the worse foot injury they have ever seen. The wires failed, and in Feb 2006 I had some bone fusion done. I have had severe and chronic pain since day 1 of injury, so bad that I take Oxycodone everyday for pain management. I have and will always have a limp, a severe 1. I have now been in cast this second time 14 weeks, was 12 the first time. I was told I may have the only injury like this in all of the UK. I just hope that I can have some pain relief from this last OP, thats really all I can hope for. I have read other articles and replies and I now see that arthritis lies ahead :'( Doc said that there is a 40% chance that this OP may not take and I will need further surgery. For those who have minor injuries and such, count your blessings, it could be a lot worse XD Life can be a b***h %-)

the lisfranc fracture/dislocation i sustained to my left foot occurred on Apr 20th. i am a police officer and got injured during training as someone that my partner and i were working with fell on top of me. i had surgery on May 1st. i've been in a cast for 5 weeks with absolutely no weight bearing allowed. my cast will be removed in approx 2 1/2 weeks. until i was injured, i had never even heard of this type of injury. my doctor said that the surgery went better than he expected it to and instead of having to put screws or pins in, wound up only putting staples in, which i will not have to undergo another surgery to remove. my major concern is being able to enjoy walking, running, or even wearing heels in the future as i am fairly young and can't even imagine not being able to walk freely. some of these posts have helped a great deal. some of them have also made me depressed, but i'll have to see how my particular situation developes.

my personal experience:
after surgery, i was put in what my doctor called an "after surgery wrap" which is actually the heaviest oversized soft cast you can imagine (done this way to allow for post-surgery swelling). after the nerve block that was placed in my leg for surgery wore off, i felt as if the top of my foot was on fire and being branded. i'm very tolerant of pain, but i have to admit that i enjoyed taking my pain pills, 4 -6 a day, for two days straight, after that surgery.

post surgery, my doctor informed me that surgery had gone better than expected and that no screws or pins had to be placed in my foot. he only wound up placing 3 staples, which will not be required to be removed. i was then placed in a cast with instructions for elevation and no weight bearing.

i am still in a cast and getting around with the help of crutches. my cast is scheduled to come off in 2 1/2 weeks and then i believe i will be going into a "moon boot". i have not had any weight bearing x-rays, but have had normal x-rays taken every 2 weeks when i get my cast changed out.

Crzyasme,
I'm pretty much just like you, except I had the screws put in, my surgery was May 10th. I am due to go back to the Dr. May 19th - just about 6 weeks post surgery.... my expectations are to start putting weight on my foot that day. I've been off work since my fall, April 28th and I am really looking forward to getting back into the routine of things. I have the same feelings around wearing certain shoes, running, working out at the gym. My Husband & I have a 5 year aniver. mid July, so we have this trip to Puerto Vallarta Mexico ( booked it before the fall) I just hope I can walk well enough by then.

I know what you mean about the pain after surgery, it was terrible. I also hated the soft cast boot, I would wake up several times in the middle of the night with my heel feeling as though it was on fire. I am now wearing a boot. My foot stll bothers me today, but it is getting somewhat better.

I'm not sure if I will have the screws out, though my Dr. said only if they bother me. From what I have read here on this site, it souncs like I would be better off with them out. I just hate to imagine another foot operation.

So best of luck to you, just know you are not alone sitting these next few weeks... with hopes of a full recovered foot !!!

SKH

DR visit is June 19th!!!!

Welcome to the Lisfranc club Crzyasme!

An update. My foot still hurts from my injury, no surgery, on February 20. I'm stretching it out every night because I developed plantar fasciitus (sp?). I think I also sprained my ankle too (although this has been unconfirmed by the doctor). I've been prescribed foot orthotics - I still have to wait for those. In the meantime, I'm still hobbling around wearing Reebok beach sandles - I've graduated from the Air Cast. I wore the Air Cast until I could walk as much as I had to in order to do the things that I had to get done in a day. The sandals help cushion the arch a little bit compared to walking in bare feet on the floor (ouch). I don't dare let my husband rub the arch of my foot as it is still too painful and I'm going greater and greater distances and times where I can stand on my feet. I must say, my good foot hurt a lot more than my bad foot for a couple of days where I used crutches for any great distances (like grocery shopping). I think I will be able to wear low heeled shoes next year based on what I feel about this injury but its going to take time.

I'm suppose to get my orthotics on June 14th so I'll try to give you an update after that although I'm scheduled for abdominable surgery on the 16th so I won't promise to give you any timely updates until I'm ready.

On a positive note, my brother broke his foot twice and he had surgery both times and both times he had the hardware taken out. He is now more fit than ever - riding bikes, running, etc. But when he injured his foot he had to walk a couple of miles to get home as he was out riding his bike. Can you imagine. I think that did more damage than good but I guess you have to do what you have to do. He didn't have weight bearing x-rays either. Not sure what all the fuss on the internet is about with weight bearing x-rays.

All the best everyone and may you have a speedy recovery with no, or minimal, pain!

Cheers, Kelly XD

Kelly,
I was just curious, what was the reason for you not having the surgery? How did you hurt your foot? My husband now says that I should of not had the operation, as for the amout of pain I was in. I trusted my Dr. who said the operation needed to be done. Just curious on your situation.

Thanks & best of luck to you.

Hi..I am the 70 year old woman who didn't want the lisfranc surgery....finally had it anyway & it went well...cast for 6 weeks was very difficult.....am now approaching my 8th week when I will finally be able to bear weight. My doctor feels screws should be removed about 16 weeks after surgery, but he has also mentioned a paper written that suggests leaving them in for older (over 40) patients......he is definitely pushing to take them out.......anybody leave the screws in without problems?

Hi SKH,

Okay, here's my lame broken foot story..... I broke my foot on the 2nd step of our stairs on the way back UP (yes I did say up and on the 2nd step). You should hear my husband tell how I broke my foot - its way more exciting..... there are several different versions.... tee hee Exactly what I did - I have no idea. I'm usually going to the OS and saying that I went up for a block in volleyball and came down on someone's foot, twisted my foot, and here I am. This time, I have no idea what I did. However, I now think I sprained my ankle because its awfully swollen too although this hasn't been confirmed either.

My injury was not diagnosed for 3 weeks even though I presented with all the "classic" signs of the injury including major bruising in the arch of the foot. My diagnosis went like this and yes x-rays were taken every time:

February 20 - ER doctor says 2 broken bones (2nd and 4th MT)
February 23 - OS says 1 broken bone (2nd MT)
March 2 - OS says they don't see anything broken
March 6 - CT scan
March 9 - OS says he thinks I have 2 broken bones at the joint and puts on a cast. No x-rays
March 10 - Go to ER complaining the cast is too tight. My big toe is numb. No x-rays.
March 15 - Go to ER and demand they take the cast off. Foot is much better now. No x-rays
March 16 - OS puts new cast on.
March 30 - OS takes cast off and sends me for more x-rays for 2-4 fracture of MT. Told to where Air Cast for 4 more weeks with weight-bearing as tolerated (although he's been saying that from day one). Asked about physio and was told by OS they could do more damage than good.
April 30 - Saw OS who says the bones are healed and to call him if I have any questions. Asked about physio and told no, I'll recover just fine on my own.

I'm not sure what the thinking was of why I didn't have surgery. Nor were weight-bearing x-rays ever taken. I used to be a ballet dancer so I know my feet very well and my new arch is nothing like the old one was. I wanted to be a physed teacher so you can imagine the toll this is taking on my emotions - not to mention my 2 kids - 3 and 8 years old).

I didn't mention all the other times I was in ER because of the pain and was told the OS was the only person that would work on my foot. I even asked for a 2nd opinion and was told no. I was also told, my OS, is the best at the hospital. So I know very little about my foot - even though its my foot!

Unlike you, though, I don't trust doctors because I have been fighting with them for 2.5 years to get a diagnosis for my son's asthma (my diagnosis). I moved from Alberta where it took 21 visits to ER at 4am to finally meet with a Respirologist who confirmed my son did have a respiratory problem. Now I live in BC, with different doctors, and I've had to start all over again. The doctors in BC don't even want to contact the doctors in Alberta just to compare symptoms or treatments. I'm livid. I'm now working on one last specialist that has worked with the Respirologist in Alberta for support. This is just crazy and I am absolutely frustrated.

Based on what I know about the foot surgery, however, I'm not sure whether its a good thing or not. I did post quite a lot of sites with historical information on studies that have been done and compared foot problems with my brother but I still don't know and nobody else seems to be able to comment because they haven't experienced the injury. I even had a neighbour tell me that I should not have been put in a cast. I don't know how you tell that to an OS. If its any help - my OS is from Africa. I hope that clarifies my situation.

Hey, one thing that I did read however.... somewhere in my travels and lord knows I do a lot of reading. If you've ever had an ACL tear (anterior cruciet ligament [excuse spelling]) that you are more likely to have osteoporosis in that same leg. This is also something that nobody has mentioned to me and I did have a partial tear of my ACL on the same leg as my foot 20 years earlier - so I wonder......

Let me know what your thoughts are..

Cheers, Kelly %-)

Thanks for the info Kelly. I have a somewhat silly question? When you say Alberta & BC ? Is that British Columbia? Just curious, I am from Kansas City, Missouri.

I am almost 5 weeks post surgery and just now starting to have some normal days without pain. I wanted to share with you that I also wanted a second opinion. I had a very difficult time getting one. I was very leary about having the operation, my husband think some Dr's are just wanting your money & are too eager to operate. When I called the 2nd OS DR. they told me it was an office policy to NOT do 2nd opinions?? I was very confused as to why? I checked with my health insurance who told me the 2nd Dr. was the one who was in my network, so I got lucky & they ended up seeing me. What was your reason for not having a 2nd opinion?

It's sound like you had a lot of problems with your soft cast. Did the Dr. ever think about giving you a boot? That is what I have. It's much better than a cast, as I can take a bath & remove if needed. Though I did promise my DR. I would not put any weight on my foot and would keep the boot on all of the time. Okay, I must admit, I am somwhat putting just a little weight on my foot, hopping around with the boot without my crutches. ( I have a 2 year old, so it's just impossible to not do this) I pray that when I go back June 19th my fracture has heeled and I am told I can start walking. I wonder if I will have to wear a special shoe. Do you wear a special shoe?

To the 70 year old, I am still not sure about getting the screws out, it just depends on how I do. Best of luck to you.

Take care & good luck on your abdominal surgery Kelly. ( poor thing)

SKH ( Shannon)

Thanks Shannon for the well wishes. I'll keep watching the site for any updates that are posted. I'm just praying that the surgery on my abdomin doesn't set me back too much on the foot recovery. I'll be really depressed then. On the good side, at least I'll be recovering from everything at the same time. I'm really trying to be positive.

Yes, I did/do live in Alberta and now British Columbia, Canada.

Congrats on getting a second opinion on your foot. That is so reassuring. I must say your foot sounds like it is on the mend. What is a boot? Is there a name on it that I can do a search online? I could take the Aircast off for bathing or showering. They gave that to me within 4 days of the fracture but I found my foot swelled up so much at night that I didn't want to wear it - it was very painful so the Dr recommended a fibreglass cast (because it was lighter). One other tidbit that has intrigued me for years, I had a Physiotherapist tell me that I would never break a bone. My current Physiotherapist tells me that I have extremely flexible feet (well at least the good foot) - she thinks it is from all the dancing. So maybe, the major injury is a sprain rather than a fracture. Does that make sense?

Oh, believe me I did want a second opinion but it would have taken months to get in to see one. We are so short of specialists up here so instead I went to my old family doctor for reassurance that everything was normal and he was happy so I guess I have to settle for that. The other thing that I'm kind of resolved to live with is, if I had surgery now bone has developed around the fracture site so its much harder to repair. I have really high arches so I'm hoping the orthotics will provide me with some pain relief. I think my problems are just from inflamation because I'm having circulatory problems. They want me to wear Ted Stockings for the upcoming surgery. The Orthotics guy said that my new orthotics will help with the inflamation so that I can do things in regular shoes now and then. Of course, I want to get rid of them entirely and will be working towards that goal when everything (surgeries) is done. No, I'm currently just wearing my Reebok sandals everywhere - they provide a little cushion for my arch.

To the 70-year old about the screws, I met someone while at one of my OS appointments and she was having problems because she had started to react to her screws that she had in for 5? approximately years. I didn't envy her dilemma. I never did hear what they were planning on doing with her. Based on what I know about allergies, I would suggest having them removed because as we age, our body's immune system is compromised and we are more prone to react to things that we didn't react to before. I would have it removed to help strengthen your immune system. I feel that every little bit that we do to boost our immune system helps us have a healthier life - that's why I work so HARD to keep my son's immune system strong so that he doesn't get sick all the time.

To other Lisfranc Injured, I hope that recovery is REALLY QUICK and VERY PAIN FREE. Cheers, Kelly XD

I am at the end of my lis franc injury and am due to have the 2 screws removed tomorrow. I was wondering if any of you had the surgery yet and what i should expect?? Nervous :|

I just had Surgery yesterday for a Lisfranc injury in my right foot from a Wakeboarding injury the weekend before. If you have never heard of it its a form a water skiing. I am really glad they caught this because I guess a lot go undiagnosed. I am 31 years old and pretty athletic and my ortho told me that surgery was the best route, as did my friend that is a physical therapist who explained my injury to a really good foot Dr (kind of a 2nd opinion I guess). I also did a lot of research on the net of course. I only had to have 1 screw put in through at an angle to line stuff up. As of yet I am not experiencing a lot of pain post surgery 24 hours ago, not near as much as my ACL reconstruction 2 years ago anyway. I am able to move my toes inside the boot. My plan is to go back to work on Monday on crutches. Anyway, here is how my Dr. explained by healing process:

2 weeks Post Op visit to take out stiches - I have 2 incisions
8 weeks, non weight bearing (I have a boot, not a cast)
8-12 weeks I should be able to bear partial weight
At 12-16 weeks I should be able to get the screws taken out and get put in a walking boot putting partial weight for a while until I can walk again.

I guess this could change depending on my progress, but I do know that this is not a fun injury especially when I thought is was just a bad sprain when I did it. My only advice is to try to stay positive. I will post updates as I go along - it is good to find people with similar issues seeing as this injury is pretty rare.