Hi, I have flat feet and my navicular (bone in the middle of the foot) is broken in the right foot. X-Rays and other scans revealed that the bone was not proper in the first place and was broken in more that 2 pieces. I will have to go through a midfoot fusion procedure where they would remove the navicular and replace it with a piece of hip that would be fusionned with the help of screws to the adjacent bones. They will probably redo the arch of my foot at the same time.

Has anybody been through this procedure and could let me know about the success of this operation and the period of recovery?
Thanks!

Chris,
Sorry to hear about your upcoming surgery. I didnt have a broken navicular, but I just had my second midfoot fusion with bone graft from my hip. My surgery was originally for arthritis from an injury and ended up in a non-union. I just had the second surgery where my surgeon used the bone graft and more hardware to connect the navicular-cuneiform joint. I think I will be nwb for 7 weeks total and then pwb for another 6-8 weeks in a boot. The entire recovery will probably be 9-12 months.
I wish you luck in your recovery. When is your surgery?

Hi Diane, Thanks for your reply! I hope you will recover well from your second surgery!

I do not have a date yet as to when I will have the operation. I need to meet the surgeon once more to discuss the procedure and know what my expectations should be.

However, I believe nobody can talk better about it than somebody who already had it and your information is much appreciated. Especially, I would like to know what your surgeon told you about the post-recovery phase, will you be able to do sport and use your foot the same way as before or is it preferable to adopt a less foot-stressing lifestyle?

Best of luck!

Hi Chris,
I hope I can be helpful in giving you an idea about what to expect. My story is kind of complicated because I have had many surgeries resulting from my original ankle fracture/sprain. I think it was about 5 years ago that I had surgery to correct a flatfoot deformity which involved fusing two joints: talonavicular and calcaneal-cuboid. My surgeon warned me that the recovery would be 9-12 months and that I would lose side to side motion in my foot. I am not sure if you are going to have that issue with loss of motion. I used to be very active and played tennis, figure skated, did aerobics, etc. and I asked my surgeon about my activity level after my fusion. He said that I probably should stick to sports which didnt involve lateral motion and stick to things like biking, swimming, or the elliptical machine.
After the surgery, I limited myself to these more restricted sports as I found it would have been impossible anyway to play sports the way I used to. Unfortunately, last year I was told I had developed arthritis in the navicular cuneiform joint which is next to the talonavicular (which had been fused). So, as I mentioned in my last post, I had to have that one fused as well!
Anyway, I really hope your recovery goes smoother. My surgeon told me to expect 6-8 weeks on crutches (and in a cast) and then 6-8 weeks walking in a big air boot. After that, he told me I would do physical therapy and then return to previous levels of activity. With the fusion I had 5 years ago, that is exactly how it happened and after a year, I really had no pain at all and was able to move again. It is definitly a long process but hopefully one which will lead to you having less if no pain. A fusion is kind of a trade-off: do you want motion with pain or no motion without pain? It sounds like you dont have a choice and I wish you the best. Feel free to ask questions anytime!

Hi Diane,
Thanks for your previous reply! How are you? Like you I will probably need a talonavicular or navicular cuneiform joint fusion or both. I have been made aware that I would lose some motion in my foot. I believe they do not know how bad it is inside to decide what type of fusion will be best yet. They will probably make the decision during the surgery. I have made another appointment with my surgeon recently and I will probably get more information about the procedure at that time. We will then decide on a date for the surgery. They wanted me to try some insoles first for a few months, since I will need some after the operation anyway, and check what benefit they could be. The pain is unfortunately still here and my main concern is to know whether I will be able to walk properly after the recovery phase. I like travelling and I just wondered if I coulf just go for long walks or treks, without limping or feeling pain, when the recovery is complete. Did your first operation affected your walking in a way that made it difficult to go on long walks? Hope you are doing well!

Hi Chris,
I'm doing okay- just way too much time on my hands with my foot up on the couch! It has been about two months now of nwb and pwb and I am sick of the crutches!!! The good news is that my next appt. is in 3 weeks and if the bones have fused completely, I can go to full weight bearing!
After my first fusion a few years ago, I did lose that side to side motion, and I imagine you will as well if they fuse the talonavicular or the calcaneal cubiod. The good news is that I could walk perfectly well after the recovery period of about 9 months. The bad news is that I found walking on uneven ground- like on a hiking trail- to be very awkward because my foot couldnt adjust to the non-flat surface. It also took awhile to feel okay with a foot that was so stiff! But, it is definitely better than the pain you are going through. I had no pain at all after my recovery. The only problem was a few years later with arthritis. I hope you get a surgery date that is convenient. I hope the insoles work- they did nothing for me!
Oh, not that this is a big deal, but finding the right shoe after the fusion was challenging...

Take care!

Hi Diane,

How are you? I guess you must have had or will have your appointment soon. Let me know the results! I have my appointment today with the surgeon where I will discuss everything that we talked about. As well, I have just been on holiday in France and I went on walking sometimes for 1 hour and my foot could cope very well, while some days it would start hurting very early on. It depends on the day, maybe the inner soles are helping a bit. However I know that I need this fixed if I really want to have a more active life. I would not dare to run just now. If I had a choice, I would choose to be operated in Autumn as there are less risk of infections in cooler times. Before that, I will get a second opinion with another surgeon just for peace of mind. Hope you do not find the time too long (are you following the World Cup?) and that you can get rid of your crutches soon. Take care!

Christophe.

Chris good luck I feel your pain. I had my second foot surgery, a non union of a lapidus proceedure, it did not fuse either. My Dr. now, wants to take bone from my hip and put in my foot. I'm scared to death. I have not walked for 8 months now and she says I'm a very long way out even yet. I'll pray for you, that your pain may not be so unbarable, mine has been! The Dr.s are telling me that the recovery from the hip is everybit as painful and slow to heal as is the foot. You may be in for a long hall. Hang in there.
Sherry

Hi Sherry, How are you? I have seen my surgeon and his definitive opinion is that I should get some mashed up pieces of bones from my foot and hip in place of my fractured bone and that the whole thing should be fusionned with the help of some screws. The recovery could take up to 9 months. I am not really looking forward to it! :) Anyway, I will seek the opinion of another surgeon from a clinic where I have already been operated for my knee. They did a very good job at the time and a confirmation on their part would give me peace of mind. With a bit of luck they will see another solution. I hope you will recover as well as possible. It is not a very comfortable situation to be in but I read some articles whereas some people were able to run again one year after the operation. I will try to find that article and send a reference. I wish you the best of luck. Christophe.

:) Hi Chris,

I have had my talonavicular fusion done nov 05 i do not have any pain now when i walk where i did have pain on top of foot)none at all now the issue i do have i think is RA in the same ankle that was operated on iam going back to hosp tomoz my appt has been cancelled x2 but ive phoned up and explained so i do have an appt for tomoz.(Iam really pleased i had the op recovery wasnt too bad at all.

Hope u get urs done soon really is worth it.:

Dolphin43.:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Hi Dolphin, Your reply is good news for people still recovering from their fusion! :) The RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis I believe) seems to be a reccurent problem for people who had or have the operation. I hope everything goes fine with your appointment tomorrow. Good Luck and take care!
Christophe.

Diane (and others),

I had mid foot fusion (naviculocuneiform fusion) 4 months ago, along with some other procedures.

While I do not pronate as much as I used to, I am having pain where the fusion was done. My doctor says that everything looks fine on the x-ray, but to hold off on the pt for another 2 wks.

My question to Diane (and others) is:
Did you have pain from your fusion (past fusions) that subsided over 4-9 months time? .......or Did you just have stiffness that really didn't have much pain to it.

I have trouble standing for more than 10 minutes and walking isn't too fun. I'm hoping that the pain from the fusion just takes time for the area to adjust... :confused:

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Kyle

To Chris, Kyle and Sherry...
I have been away from the boards for a few days... I had my 3 month check up last week (post refusion of midfoot) and my os was cautiously pleased with the xrays. He said that my fusion was healing and that he wouldnt expect anyone to be completely fused at 3 months...oh well- I can hope cant I! He let me put full weight on darth but I really still need crutches if I walk for too long. He told me to wait until bones are fused for pt.
Kyle- When I had my successful fusion about 4 years ago, I had some pain initially from the different way I was walking on my foot. However, after 9 or 10 months, I was much better. For a few years after that, I had a lot of stiffness but no pain in my foot when walking. After my fusion last summer, I had constant pain with walking at my fusion site- but that was because it was not healing and lead to a non union. This time around, I think my foot is better. However, sometimes I really get pain around where the screws are...I know these will have to come out eventually.

How is everyone?

Hi I,ve Been Reading About Your Operation On Your Navicular Bone I Had Mine Removed 10 Weeks Ago And Still In Agony I,m Desperate To Get Some Answers Do The Pain Get Better Regards Debbie X

Hi, i myself have had a foot fusion done, they fused the navicular to the medial cuneiform. i got this operation done in belfast, Northern Ireland in nov 2005, they took the plate & 4 screws out in may 2006 & i still have not fully recovered. i am only 27 years old male, the reason i got the op done was i am a very keen footballer & i wanted to get the pain i had in my foot away. it doesnt seem to be a very common operation, i find it hard to get information about how to make a full recovery. if you had any information, i would be extremely grateful.

Kind Regards

Nickeymc/Debbie,

I'm about 10 months post op from the naviculocuneiform (fusion of the navicular and cuneiform) surgery. While I'm progressing, the healing of it all is slow. I'm 38 yrs old and used to live a very active lifestyle. The more I'm on it, the more it hurts- but doing nothing doesn't heal it either. Yet, compared the the 6 month mark, it is much better. I'm able to walk around, but running/jogging can be challenging -enough to not push it. I'm hoping by 12-13 months it will get better.

Nickeymc:
How many months out are you and are you continuing to get better (i.e. pain free?).

Debbie:
Have you heard of any that took a year or longer to heal? Diane seems to be getting better after a year (minus the nonunion).

Kyle

To all those who had a midfoot fusion,
The good news is that I think you can get better even months and months after surgery. I am 9 months post-fusion of my navicular cuneiform and I feel better when walking and exercising than I did even a couple weeks ago. My exercise is limited to the elliptical, swimming, and weights, but that is so much better than before the fusion! I do have some pain from the hardware so I am taking it out in about 3 weeks.
It is a long, long recovery, but things will hopefully get better for everyone!

Diane

Kyle/Diane

the doctor said the fusion looks perfect.. its 1 full year since the op, i just didnt think it would take so long for it 2 heal, at this stage i tought my foot would be as strong as my good foot. I play alot of football at a high level & the reason i got the op done was because of my football career. before i got the op done in nov 2005 i was going at 70 % full fitness & playing well, i could never get 2 100% because of my foot injury, so i tought by getting the op done i would be @ 100% full fitness & i would be playing the best football of my life.. now im only at around 50 %.. looking back i would not have got it done if i had of known it was goin 2 feel like this.. But i cant do much about that, its done & ive got 2 get on with it.. Where do i go from here, is Physio the answer, acupunture???

I had a lis franc injury 3 years ago which was not aggressively treated. I have spent the last 3 years going to a podiatrist who shot prednisone into my foot, but no long term relief. After throwing a fit one day, they did a MRI and discovered the previous lis franc injury with 2 healing metatarsel fractures. I also have severe degenerative arthritis with inflamation, cyst and everything possible from my navicular cunieform, 2nd and 3rd metatarsel. I am having surgery on the 27th of march to fuse all of these together. I have subluxation of the joints and they say that the fractures will continue to happen because of the severity of it. I went to a chicago Il. Ortho surgeon with a good reputation, but I am still scared to death, that I may make it worse. He told me that there is only a little chance that he will make it worse and a big chance he can make it better. What kind of post op pain can I expect. I want to go back to work in 3 weeks, I manage a pulmonary sleep and cardiology department. Is that being realisitic? I know that there is no weight bearing for 2 months and I will have to use a walker. Also, am I going to gain a lot of weight, or is the energy it will take me to get around going to burn enough calories? I also am praying that I will be able to remain active. I like to do a lot of walking and low impact dancing tapes to stay in shape. I can't find a lot of information on the surgery, like: How long of a surgery is it, how many days I can expect to have a lot of pain, when I go into the air boot after a couple of months, am I going to feel a lot better and be able to get around pretty easily. I am also not looking forward to not being able to drive for over 2 months, but it will be worth it, if I am better off. I am reading some horror stories on the internet an it is scaring me. Help!

Hi, I have flat feet and my navicular (bone in the middle of the foot) is broken in the right foot. X-Rays and other scans revealed that the bone was not proper in the first place and was broken in more that 2 pieces. I will have to go through a midfoot fusion procedure where they would remove the navicular and replace it with a piece of hip that would be fusionned with the help of screws to the adjacent bones. They will probably redo the arch of my foot at the same time.

Has anybody been through this procedure and could let me know about the success of this operation and the period of recovery?
Thanks!

I went through this exact procedure in 82 while in the Navy. The reason was from a fall rock climbing. My foot has given me fits ever since. Right now I'm trying to get the Veterans Administration to something about it. I was Discharged because of not being able to complete the physical requirements for re-enlistment. If you get this in time, I would make sure that this is the last resort to get your foot fixed. I have heard about joint replacement for the ankle and plan to check it out myself. A life of pain is not fun and I tired of predicting the weather better than the news. High humidity kills me.

Good luck and I hope yours turns out better than mine did.

Hi all, from what I'm seeing here there are different degrees of mid foot fusion. I left a reply to CHRIS1973 about mine then started reading the others. Mine involves the navicular, talonavicular and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cuneiform. I broke it in a fall rock climbing in 82 and it wasn't until Dec. 84 until the Navy decided to fix it. I have tried every kind of pain killer there is including the cortizone shots. None of them have done me any good. I did find out that after your surgery, the pain killers such as percocet and darvocet will keep your foot from healing. Once I quit taking them, I could feel a tingling in my foot where it was healing. Hopefully I am the exception because I have had nothing but trouble with my foot ever since. It's been over 22 years and now I trying to get the VA to do something about it. Like I told Chris, I tired of the pain, being able to predict the weather better than the news, and not being able to work in mine career field. I lost my career in the Navy because of it.

I have heard of joint replacement for the ankle so I'm going to check it out. I know my spelling sucks so hopefully you can understand what I meant.

I heard the joint replacement lasts about 15 years - so it may depend upon your age in making this decision.

You mentioned the talonavicular. I will most likely receive a talonavicular fusion (and new screws in the naviculocuneiform fusion I had last year - to confirm the previous fusion). This TN fusion basically eliminates the side to side motion, but surely provides the stability lost- as well as helping with the pain (so i hope).

Kyle