Hey everyone. I am new to this messageboard.

About six weeks ago I hurt my left foot playing judo. I went to the emergency room and the initial x-rays didn't indicate any serious problem, but two days later, my orthopedist took x-rays and diagnosed a lisfranc dislocation. He told me I needed surgery within 10 days. A second opinion confirmed his diagnosis, so I went ahead and had the surgery.

It has now been about 5 weeks after surgery. He put three screws in my foot and I was initially in a cast up to my knee, but the doctor took it off at 2 1/2 weeks because he said he was impressed with the way the foot looked and how the x-rays came out. He told me that I wouldn't be able to put any weight on it until at least 8 weeks after surgery and said that I should keep it in a boot mainly for protection and to sleep with the boot until I could bring my ankle past 90 degrees. When I am sitting around at home, I can keep it out of the boot. It still swells quite and sometimes gets very purple when I have it down. When it is raised it is fine.

The only pain I have had recently is there is a point on the back of my big toe that is supersensitive. I feel that pins and needles pain that I assume is nerve related. Otherwise, the biggest annoyance is the swelling.

I am trying to be optimistic, but I heard some awful stories regarding this injury. I would definitely like to hear from others who are dealing with this.

With respect to screws- my doctor said that the screws don't have to be removed, and that even if they evenutally break, they can still remain in place without harm. Has anyone heard anything similar from their doctor?

I would be interested to hear more about this injury also. I was just diagnosed with a Lisfranc sprain/maybe dislocation (and a fracture at the base of the 5th metatarsal, RSD, twisted cuboid, bone spurs across the dorsal bases of the 1-3 metatarsals with deep peroneal neuritis, sural neuritis, peroneal tendinosis and a subluxed fibula)...14 months after I fell! After I had already seen an MD, orthopedic surgeon, physiatrist and pain mgmt. dr. and spent a total of 5 months in PT. The 5th dr. (a podiatrist) and the 6th (another physiatrist) found all this stuff. And after I get a new MRI in 2 weeks, am being sent to yet a 7th dr. - this one an orthopedic surgeon who is a fellowship-trained foot & ankle specialist who has published on tarsometarsal injuries and peripheral neuritis...oh boy.

So...what do I have to look forward to (with dread)?

wanda

Well, like you, I am new to this diagnosis. The one thing that seems to be the case is that everyone responds differently to treatment. I have heard some horror stories of people taking years to recover (somewhat) and then there are other stories of people going back to contact sports a few months after treatment. I guess we all hope we are in the latter group.

Your experience in terms of diagnosis seems to happen a lot. Unless you are seen by a foot and ankle specialist, the injury often gets misdiagnosed. When I went to the ER with my injury, the doctor said he didnt see any significant problem, but at least me made me go see a good specialist who found the problem only with a third set of x-rays. I hear that the recovery is best when the surgery is done close in time to the injury, but there are many cases of people with very late diagnoses who end up doing fine.

As for the rest of the problems you had diagnosed, I haven't heard too much about them.

I see the doctor next in two and a half weeks, when he will let me try to put some weight on my foot for the first time in about 9 weeks. I'll let you know how it works out.

Hi JudoBill
Sorry to hear about your injury. I fell 18 months ago and really messed up my foot/ankle and am still struggling. Dr told me at time it was ankle sprain with a fracture in the navicular bone. Was THE most painful thing...(and I"ve had 10 pound kids w/no drugs so know I can take pain!) Didn't get the lisfranc diagnosis until one year after the injury...obviously no surgery at time of injury. Have now been to 3 different Drs...all orthopedic surgeons with the last one specializing in foot/ankle. Have had different opinions...1st said lisfranc after one year of still having problems, 2nd said after MRI something major wrong in there but they didn't know what to do, 3rd said after more xrays and CT scan that it's subtalor joint and not lisfranc. I'm so frustrated. Still have pain, swelling in the foot/ankle, no foot flexability even after 4 months of physical therapy and my hips and back kill me from walking wrong. Thinking now of going to podiatrist. I just want somebody to tell me exactly what's wrong and fix it and be done. I feel like an old lady and Im "only" 41!

JudoBill: Sounds like you got the right diagnoses right away - lucky you! And you seem to be healing pretty quick - that is just great! I have heard a lot of bad stuff about leaving the screws in once you are weightbearing, and the literature seems to be evenly divided on whether or not to leave them in. Just read a newer study showing good results using PLA screws that dissolve over time for this surgery (but they had just a few patients in the study). My husband got three of them last year in a major rotator cuff/biceps tendon repair and they worked great for that.

EKris3: We seem to be in about the same boat...it has been 14 months since I fell. First they said it was an ankle sprain, then an ankle sprain that hadn’t had PT, then that all the pain was being caused by my “walking wrong” for 6 months after the ankle sprain. It sure doesn’t sound like they have good results trying to treat this condition when found so late...after we have been walking on it for over a year. Scary stuff!

wanda

Thanks for the info on the screws. My doctor insists that it is no worse to leave them in than to take them out, but it is hard to imagine 3 screws not having an impact once I start walking. But then, what do I know? Before my injury, I didn't even know they put screws in feet!

As far as the late diagnosis, don't give up hope. If the Lisfranc diagnosis you both have received is correct, the full recovery may not be what it would have been if diagnosed earlier, but it will still probably be an improvement over what you are experiencing now. All I can go by are the anecdotes I have read about online, but I have seen reports of cases with long delays where the person ends up in good shape.