For those that are new or frankly can't remember (it's even hard for me at this point), here are a few bullet points outlining my Lisfranc/ankle problems in the first half of this year (2018):
- January 2018 - Right foot Lisfranc fusion after a prior Lisranc ORIF in Sept. 2016
- Jan-Feb 2018 - Non-weight bearing for 4 weeks to partial weight bearing in a boot for 4 weeks
- Feb-March 2018 - Weight-bearing in a boot for 4 weeks
- March 2018 onward - Walking without any boot or crutches. Hardware in both right and left feet from fusion surgeries in Jan 2018 and March 2017, respectively.
With a Lisfranc fusion in both my left and right feet by January 2018, I was finally feeling better than I had previously felt in the past 4 years. The recovery from my right foot fusion (Jan. 2018) was considerably better than Lisfranc surgery recoveries in the past.
I have been doing well the past 8-10 months. All my hardware has been removed from both feet and I feel great. As far as getting back to physical activities, I hike, bike, and even do a bit of running. But the biggest positive aspect has been my ability to get back living and just do normal things.
Fusion was the right choice for me, and from my experience/research I think it is the right option for many Lisfranc injuries. I have been through ORIF surgies in both feet prior to ultimately opting for fusions in both feet. ORIF failed for me, but doesn't necessarily mean it will fail for everyone. As I detailed in a previous post, the mechanism and type of Lisfranc injury will delineate the best type of treatment/surgery for the injury. Talk to your doctor, get multiple opinions, and do your own research. My journey was long and still continues. I hope that by sharing my story, and knowledge I gained along the way, I can help others going through their own Lisfranc saga. By no means should anyone take my experience and extrapolate it as what will happen to them. Every injury is different, and there is no one broad answer to a persons recovery. The most important take away I can give is to be your own advocate, stay positive, and get treatment as soon as you can. No matter what type of Lisfranc injury, the prognosis is always better if the diagnosis and treatment begin as soon as possible.
I have been doing well the past 8-10 months. All my hardware has been removed from both feet and I feel great. As far as getting back to physical activities, I hike, bike, and even do a bit of running. But the biggest positive aspect has been my ability to get back living and just do normal things.
Fusion was the right choice for me, and from my experience/research I think it is the right option for many Lisfranc injuries. I have been through ORIF surgies in both feet prior to ultimately opting for fusions in both feet. ORIF failed for me, but doesn't necessarily mean it will fail for everyone. As I detailed in a previous post, the mechanism and type of Lisfranc injury will delineate the best type of treatment/surgery for the injury. Talk to your doctor, get multiple opinions, and do your own research. My journey was long and still continues. I hope that by sharing my story, and knowledge I gained along the way, I can help others going through their own Lisfranc saga. By no means should anyone take my experience and extrapolate it as what will happen to them. Every injury is different, and there is no one broad answer to a persons recovery. The most important take away I can give is to be your own advocate, stay positive, and get treatment as soon as you can. No matter what type of Lisfranc injury, the prognosis is always better if the diagnosis and treatment begin as soon as possible.
Hey Mark, appreciate you sharing your journey. I know this experience is a brutal one, especially for someone who ran a 2:57 marathon. I have a chronic, subtle lis franc injury.. small injury that kept getting worse from competitively running. Transitioned to road biking, which probably exacerbated the issue. Long story short, I am currently doing orthopaedic research, even working on a retrospective paper on outcomes following ORIF vs fusion for lis franc injuries. The literature is scarce, especially when it comes to runners. I was hoping you could update if you have been able to return to running?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear you have been dealing with a prolonged lis franc injury. Your story has some similarities with my own. A subtle injury is frustrating and can often be more of a pain to deal with than an acute rupture of the ligament. I dealt with two injuries that were chronic, subtle, and undiagnosed. Initially, I went through ORIF for both injuries, but did not have good outcomes in either case. The primary cause for the poor outcomes was due to the chronic nature of my injuries. At least, that was my experience and what some research points to. Ultimately, I decided to get fusion in both feet after problems remained after ORIF. Fusion has turned on out to be the right choice in my case and I have had hardware removed. I have gotten back to all pre-injury athletic activities, including long distance running. I'm happy to say I don't have pain in my feet anymore and it's been 4 years since my last surgery. I've noticed a bit of my biomechanics are a bit different, but I attribute most of that to muscle imbalance from years of being on and off my feet during my injuries. Please see my post
Delete"The Lisfranc injury: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options", which gives a brief literature/research review of injury types and outcomes of treatments. I did this research before I made the choice for fusion. Of course, please talk to an orthopedic foot/ankle surgeon. Always get a second or third opinion. I hope you find a treatment that works for you. If you have anymore questions, feel free to put them in the comments. Also, to put updates on your recovery status when the time comes.
Thanks Mark! I really appreciate it. You've gotten back to your pre-injury level of running with fusion, that is amazing man, just what I needed to hear. I ran in college, and strangely enough I am a 4th year med student hoping to go into ortho.. so this hits close to home. I have looked everywhere for outcomes of fusion vs orif for athletes, a lot of the literature is focused on football/soccer players- however, their injuries are often immediately diagnosed because of their status as professionals and access to immediate orthopaedic care. I did 8 weeks non weight bearing in a cast and it did not heal.. at this point i am running through the pain because i feel that fusion is always an option, and if if I continue to bother it, it may fuse itself. Probably not the smartest, but I was terrified of being worse off with the fusion and having the hardware break. I sure as hell do not plan on stopping running. Either way man, thanks for your feedback, it gives me a lot of hope, and I am glad you are doing well. This injury is THE worst, ligaments be damned, bones heal.
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