My Horrifying Lisfranc Injury

Oh and i do limp quite badly... im hoping it will improve over time..
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I am so sorry to hear you have had such a bad experience on top of a badly broken foot. I too hope it will improve over time. Sometimes when I've been sitting in a car for awhile, and get out, I will limp until it works itself out, other than that I guess I am very lucky. Hopefully your body will bounce back since you are fairly young. Following 2 little boys around would be a challenge for anyone, but more so for someone experiencing foot pain. Hope your alternative methods of pain management work for you. Good luck.

I'm so sorry to hear about your lisfranc injury. I too am in the same boat as you. My injury happened in mid August 2012. I fell while walking down concrete stairs and twisted just right. I threw up immediately from the overwhelming pain. I have never felt pain like this ever before in my life. I had to be carried to the car and went to the ER right away. The ER doctor diagnosed me with an ankle sprain and a hairline fracture of my cuboid bone but thought it would be best to send me to a podiatrist just incase something was missed. Of course this happened on a weekend so I had to wait two days to go into see the podiatrist. I was sent home from the ER with crutches and an ACE bandage. When I saw the podiatrist, he immediately got X-RAYS and put me in a cast. I was in the cast for three weeks and then got put in the boot and had to go back for follow ups every 3 weeks. On my second follow up appointment, I explained to him how severe the pain in my foot and ankle is and also pointed out a bulge on the inside of my foot that I never had before. He decided to send me for an MRI. I got the MRI done a few days later and my podiatrist called me right away to explain how serious my injury was. I dislocated all my bones (he explained that my whole mid foot poped out and poped back in). I also tore my ligaments and tendons and my ankle was severly sprained. Needless to say, I was in his office again a few days later for him to show me my MRI and explain my injuries and the importance of getting surgery to correct this. I just wish they would have identified my injury sooner because I didn't end up getting surgery until about 2 1/2 months after the date of when it occured. Also, I am an RN so I was working on my feet that whole time too.
My podiatrist performed an Open Reduction Internal Fixation with placement of 6 pins/screws and also an ankle arthroscopy due to my traumatic synovitis (they go in laproscopically to clean the scar tissue out of my ankle). They originally thought this would be a same day procedure but after he got in my foot and saw how bad it really was (he described it to me as a bag of bones. I destroyed everything that gives your foot stability). When I woke up from surgery, oh my gosh...the pain was terrible. They got me on a good regimen for pain meds but I had to stay in the hospital for 2 days.
I left the hospital in a splint with a lot of padding due to swelling and had to go back and see him the next week to get a cast on. I ended up having to be non weight bearing 12 weeks. After the 12 weeks, I went back to wearing the boot and slowly starting walking again and started PT (which I didn't find all that helpfull).
Well, that's a little background on my situation. Now, I'm almost 6 months post surgery and I'm in terrible pain every single day. I've had 2 nerve blocks and cortisone shots which really help for a month but then after they wear off, I'm in aggony again. The arthritis is awful and the sharp shooting pains and constant ache. There's days (like today) that I wish I didn't even have my foot and ankle because it's that bad. The worst part is that I had to leave my job in the hospital. I can't work as a RN anymore because I can't stand on my feet for that long (especially for 8 to 12 hours).
I'd love to connect with somebody that's maybe in a similar situation. Does the pain ever get better? I wouldn't wish a lisfranc injury on anybody. It's awful.

Dear Mike, Thank you for sharing. My lisfranc injury was 12/15/2007 & I have nearly constant pain in my foot. It's worse with weather conditions. I've had 4 surgeries & when I saw my ortho this spring, he told me he can't do anything more. Along with the dull pain in the mid foot, my ankle/foot/leg tingle more often than not and I've experienced severe hip pain that only subsides if I sit in my anti-gravity chair. When I went to bed the night of my son's graduation party, I wanted to cry, the pain was so intense. In the morning, it's better but is back quickly. Today is (approx) 07/15/2013, five and a half years past the injury (head on car crash - the other driver lost control on the ice and permanently changed my life.

I was in a car accident in October 2011. A man turned left in front of me as I was driving straight through an intersection. I slammed on my break as he turned in front of me but couldn't get out of the way. I didn't realize my foot was broken. It was cold and raining and I was very upset at the man who decided to take the chance to turn in front of me to get through the intersection. I tried walking and fell as a paramedic caught me and put me on a stretcher. I went to the er and was told that I had broken my foot badly and was sent home to wait for a call from a follow up doctor. I didn't get an appointment for two weeks...The doctor told me he had never seen a case as bad as mine and asked his older more experienced partner to take my case. He acted confident but looking back I find that he didn't know what he was doing. I had surgery three and a half weeks after the car accident. The doctor told me I had a lisfranc fracture and had also fractured many of the other bones in my foot. He told me that I would always have pain in my foot and that it was highly unlikely that I would ever run again. Up until the accident I would walk/run 2-12 miles a day. I love to run and it has been almost two years since I have been able to. I am determined to run again. I was in bed rest for 12 weeks then on crutches for 4 weeks then in boot ever since. I lost the job I earned my bachelors degree for and I dreamed of having as a child because I was gone too long. I lived on my own, in another state, working the job I always dreamed of. I was living my dream. I had to move back to my parents home. I couldn't work. I could walk without the boot if I had a cane. I finally decided to see another doctor in February 2013. He told me I should wait and see if it got better. I went to a navy doctor after my husband and I got married in April. The Navy doctors have been amazing. I am two weeks post op. The doctor here is a foot and ankle specialist. He fused the joint and fixed things that the first doctor did not. The doctor old me that the joint never healed and there was a lot of movement where there should be none and two of the screws were broken. I now have two plates and 15 screws holding everything together. The doctor also did a bone graft to fill in some weak areas and and restructure my foot. I am still in a lot of pain but it is a different pain. I look forward to physical therapy and running in the next year or so. I will run. Reading about others who are going through the same thing is very encouraging!

I'm so sorry to hear of your pain, VNess. I was a surgical asst., on my feet all day, and had to leave the career I loved due to a LisFranc fracture in August, 2012. I am now looking at fusion surgery in 2 weeks. How are you doing now? Would love to connect with you! Teri

Hi came across this and thought it would be supportive but was disturbed at how sad some of you sound. My story - 15 yrs ago, 5mths after my first child, a horse fell and rolled on my foot; not once but twice! The foot was so crushed that I was told by a number of specialists that there was a 95% chance of me losing my foot if I had surgery. Cubuid smashed, metartarsels smashed, and everything else smashed. Give you the technical terms if u want but basically foot smashed. Even went as far as pre op medication before surgeon decided same as other specialists. The good news is 15 years on (and now in my mid 50's) I still have my foot, shoes can be a b***h to buy (and I love shoes), foot is a bit funny shaped (like bends to left!!) discovered that the orthopedic inserts actually make walking worse and more painful so ditched them. And I have had a number of different types. Taught myself to pick up pencils etc so exercises the tendons, rotate my ankle lots coz that aint broke, wiggle my toes lots. Pretty good swimmer now, the psi pressure from the deep water is excellent rehab by the way and swimming is a great workout. I use to lower myself in off crutches and the freedom in the water was awesome. Took me 18 mths to walk without crutches and my daughter walked before I did. The water resistance against the foot was a bit painful at first but eased as time went on. If I put injured foot to the front of ski can still water ski, (letting go of ski handle and having it hit my foot hurt like hell, but I got over it and I don't let go now)still horse ride (specialist told me to give up and bike ride but yuckkkk -not into that so use an exercise bike instead, doesnt hurt my bum as much ) yes I have arthritis, but hey antiflammatories work well, My point is I would rather have my foot than have none. Antidepressents have been awesome for me. If u r so depressed that u r thinking that not having a foot is better go get some help. My oldest brother is a quad due to a car accident, I think I am lucky, still am mobile, can take myself to the toilet, walk (he can,t) I have had to modify my lifestyle but my lifestyle got me a broke foot in the first place. Best of all smile and be positive.

I know what you are going through :( I broke and dislocated all 5 metatarsals, tore all the ligaments as well 13 months ago and am still have a lot of problems. I had 2 ops already - one to repair and then had another one at the end of May because I was having difficulties with the plate and 7 screws in my foot. Felt a bit better but the pain is back with a vengeance and I have a swollen lump in the middle of my foot. I am not too bad as long as I do not walk on foot! Advised by consultant that there is a very good chance I will need another op to fuse all the bones together because that is the only thing to reduce pain.
Just do what you have been advised by your doctors and take it easy. This is not the type of injury to heal quickly - long process I'm afraid. Good Luck!

I was in a car accident on 8/29/14 and had surgery on 9/11. Doctor fused it with ankle bone graft. I had a lot of pain since surgery and as of 10/12 am still non weight bearing. Are they going to keep your screws in?

Hi Marcus -
I had an even more severe fracture and open reduction resulting from a fall down stairs. After one year of healing, my foot required a second surgery to fuse the original open reduction procedure. I had developed persistent pain resulting from a previously unseen injury to a nerve.
The sensation is still gone, but the function has been returned to the point where I can walk short distances without a limp. However, I've developed RSD in my foot and lower leg in general.
I wish you successful healing and no more pain! I'm reluctant to tell you (but believe in honesty) that I'd be surprised to see you climbing up and down ladders and crawling around on rooftops any time soon!
I was off work for 2 years... I'm a teacher!