I am just wondering how all of you began walking after having screws placed for Lisfranc repair surgery. I am like 14 weeks post surgery with 3 screws still in my foot. I am in a walking boot but I can't walk? By force of habit I still lift the foot afraid to step on it(using crutches).
How did you walk?
I am able to place a little weight on it with my crutches and feel no pain but how do you get to the point of not needing crutches?
I am thinking you have to have PT to do that?
Please share your stories,advice, ideas of how you took your first steps after Lisfranc surgery.
You're going to have to bite the bullet and push yourself to do it. It's scary - no doubt about it. It took me a little more than a full day to go from NWB to placing all my weight on my booted foot. While walking with the crutches, place more and more weight on your booted foot. My OS cautioned that it would not be unusual to take a week to transition to full WB.
thanks for the reply RBall. I am glad to hear your walking! I feel sometimes like I never will! Are you in a shoe now? I continue to practice with my crutches and boot but I think you are right about pt. I will ask my OS next week.
I don't just walk. I also run, sprint and jump. I just played a couple hours of racquetball earlier tonight, and played in a tournament about 2 weeks ago. I play at the Open level - open to all ability levels (the only higher division is Pro). Both my opponents and spectators came up to me and commented on my ability to fly around the court and catch up to balls that should have been out of my (or anybody else's) reach. I doubt you could tell that I was ever injured, or even identify which of my feet was the one that was hurt.
I wear all types of shoes, from lace up tennis shoes to dress shoes to flip-flop sandals. At the suggestion of my OS, I did obtain some Superfeet orthotics when I was cleared to stop wearing the boot. These days, I only wear them when I'm going to be on my feet for a long period of time - like when I took the kids to the State Fair a few weeks ago and ended up walking almost non-stop for 7+ hours. Otherwise, I just wear the shoes as they come from the factory.
My hurt foot still has a small amount of swelling around the instep incision - this has continued to go down ever since the surgery. I wasn't sure whether it would ever go away - but it's not very noticeable now.
Does it feel like it did before I every got hurt? No. I still get a twinge every now and then. However, I do not live in pain. Nor do I play in pain. I don't even notice, or think about, my foot while playing. When I was done with my recent tournament, I had much more pain from other various parts of my body than I did from my foot.
Don't give up - you can get past this. Push yourself to recover (within your Dr's instructions), but also be realistic and patient when it comes to results. It's not going to happen overnight - but you'd be surprised where you will be 6 months from now.
Wow! That is just what I needed to hear! I have to keep focused on the fact that I will be walking again and much more! Thank you for sharing that it really helps to hear your doing so well.
May I ask you if you were in my place 16 weeks post surgery, with 3 screws still in would you have them taken out? You mentioned better range of motion after they were out. Where you able to do all this activity when they were still in?
You have really inspired me to keep pushing...thanks
Honestly? I was very hesitant about them being permanent from the first time the OS recommended it. I'm not gentle when it comes to using my feet. Agility was/is one of my strengths when competing. I was worried that having the screw immobilize a joint that originally flexed would be limiting.
I started WB and PT much earlier than you have, maybe around 7 weeks post-surgery. I spent 4 weeks WB in the boot, then moved into tennis shoes. I was cleared by my OS to start playing rball again at about 13 weeks. I still had the screws in my foot, as they were considered permanent at this time.
I honestly can't say how much the screws impeded my agility. I had not regained the strength in my foot or leg yet, and this affected my mobility more than anything else. I had to really focus to "push off" with the hurt foot (thanks to my PT who made me do this). It took several months to get strong again, and only recently have I felt that my foot/leg are as strong as they were pre-injury.
The screw backed out of my foot while playing, within a week or two of being cleared to play. This happened shortly before Thanksgiving, and I didn't end up seeing my OS until the 1st week of Dec, when he took x-rays and found that the screw wasn't even making contact with the bone it was supposed to be screwed into. Surgery was scheduled to remove the screws on 12/18, after which I was back in the boot for a week to protect the incisions. I was playing rball again 2 weeks later.
I have never been comfortable with having the screws be perm. I guess we shall see with that. So actually your more than a year past your intial injury date and living a very active life...thats so great finally a Lisfranc story with a positive outcome!!
When I do bare weight on my injured foot it doesn't hurt at all actually seems to hurt more in my ankle which is weird but I still have not come to bring myself to fully bare all my weight down on the hurt foot, and still on crutches.
I see the OS next week so I am really going to push for PT. Thanks again it helps to have someone who has been through the same type of injury since it sure is a tricky one!
First steps after Lisfranc 
Are you in a shoe now? I continue to practice with my crutches and boot but I think you are right about pt. I will ask my OS next week.
