Through my lisfranc surgery and recovery I have learned what to expect. Everyone's journey is different but I thought I would share a few things that are considered "normal" during recovery.
You may experience:
Big toe pain
Big toe numbness
Feeling needle like pain in the bottom of your foot
uncontrolled muscle spasms of your leg
bruising on all areas of your foot
burning, itching, aching of your incision
swelling of your entire foot
ankle pain, swelling and bruising
4th and 5th metatarsal pain and tenderness
discoloration of foot when taking a shower or when it isn't elevated
diminished sensation on the top of incision
not being able to move toes as freely as before
painful moving toes
different kinds of pain on different days
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| 2 weeks post lisfranc surgery |
Big toe pain
Big toe numbness
Feeling needle like pain in the bottom of your foot
uncontrolled muscle spasms of your leg
bruising on all areas of your foot
burning, itching, aching of your incision
swelling of your entire foot
ankle pain, swelling and bruising
4th and 5th metatarsal pain and tenderness
discoloration of foot when taking a shower or when it isn't elevated
diminished sensation on the top of incision
not being able to move toes as freely as before
painful moving toes
different kinds of pain on different days
This and your other posts have really helped me. I recieved lisfranc surgery two weeks ago and was crying in pain of my toes two nights before, found your blog and am glad it's "normal." I look forward to your future posts and I wish you well for recovery. Thanks for sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteHi I am glad you received some encouragement from my blog/posts. I know what it is like to wake up crying in pain, and I am sorry you also have to go through this painful journey. I wish you well on your continued recovery and hope that time passes quickly for you. The best of luck to you in your journey. The pain will get less each day.
DeleteI am 2 months post op.. You said muscle spasms in the leg, I get them in my foot and ankle.. I was prescribed Flexoril but it really doesn't help much.. Usually they occur right before I have some improvement, so I guess that is a good thing.. Stretching my foot daily seems to help. It usuall is less painful the morning after.
DeleteHi! Isn't it nice to have 2 months of healing behind you?? I also had muscle spasm in my foot and ankle. Not fun! At 12 weeks, post op, I rarely have any muscle spasms anymore. I never thought about them happening before some improvement but it makes sense! Have you started physical therapy yet? I am also wondering if you have numbness in your big toe and along your incision scar! That area of my foot has started tingling all the time and it is quite annoying. I am hoping the tingling is also a sign of healing! I am so glad you are finding ways to make this journey less painful for yourself!
DeleteFor spasms I recommend magnesium spray. My wife makes her own I’m not sure what’s in it per se but it works a treat.
DeleteHi puma, My name is Nikita, I am two weeks post op and I'm not even sure you are keeping up with this blog. But how long did take for your incision to stop being irritated by the boot
ReplyDeleteFinding this thread has helped calm my nerves. My toes are a tingling and for some reason it made me so nervous and scared something was wrong as apposed to it being a normal (yet annoying) part of the process of healing! Thank you for being so open about this!
ReplyDeleteSearching for help I had my surgery about two years ago I'm constantly in agony and recently my big toe has been going numb more often than it has been.. is that still normal?
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteI'm a few days post op, and experiencing most of these symptoms. I also have toe twitches frequently and the numbness in my big toe. I have stitches removed and X-rays in a couples of weeks followed by another cast being placed. I was relieved to find the pain has decreased. The first couple of days were absolute agony. I'm hoping all this twitching and nerve pain means things are rebuilding and starting to wake up. Do others experience this as well?
Thanks!
Silvia
Hi,
ReplyDeleteIt's been over a year since anyone has posted on this Blog so I may be writing to no one but that's OK. I just want to thank you all for sharing your experiences. I am 10 days post-op and have the burning feelings, the random shooting pains, etc. that many of you have experienced. Today is the first day that we're going out for a bit. I still have the temp. cast/wrap and my toes turn purple and foot hurts after being up for too long. A little nervous, but it's good to know that everything that's happening is pretty "normal". Getting the stiches out and a regular cast in 6 days. Little milesones! :)
Hey Sheri. I hope you’ve been able to read some of the replies below!
DeleteI had lisfranc surgery 6 weeks ago. I have 6 screws, no plates. I am still having some pain and was concerned. But after reading many entries on this blog was feeling like it may never get better. I see my surgeon in two days and if I am healing OK will start bearing weight and using crutches ( I have been using a knee scooter). Please let me know if you have any advice!
DeleteHi Sheri, I'm Jess ��.
ReplyDeleteI've just come across these comments myself. I'm about 15 days post op and I'm also experiencing the pains and burning in the foot. My foot also turns a funny color if it's down for to long. Does that happen to you? I have to go in Monday to have my stiches out and to have a normal cast. How do you find getting about? I've had to hire a wheelchair with a leg extension and been on strict elevation.
Hi all! I see no one has posted much since I last did a year ago. I used a knee wheeler to get about. So so much easier than crutches and kinda fun. But I took a few months off work and spent most of it with my leg raised. The first two-three weeks are the worst for pain but don’t worry. It gets a lot better I promise. The most important thing to do is go to physio!! I can’t stress this enough. And proper footwear. Kiss your high heels bye bye for awhile. Physio helped me more than anything. You have to absolutely do the exercises and I guarantee it’ll be better. Everything you’ve mentioned is totally normal. I had it too. We all did. Just keep up with little victories! The pain will go away. The swelling will go down. The first steps you ever take after will be painful. I wanted to quit. But just keep going. It’ll be worth it!! I wish you all a good recovery!
ReplyDeleteSilvia
Thanks so much for replying...I'm glad it gets better! How did you manage to shower with casts on? I'm really struggling with that as I have a bath with shower and not being able to bare weight on foot I can't quite make the hop over the bath! I've been sitting on side and having washes just wondered if there was a life hack tto be had? I haven't slept much in days I've run out of meds and not sure if I should ask for more? I'm looking forward to the first couple of steps. I was under no illusions that it wasn't going to hurt but for me that's one of the main goals! I need to get back to work! It's driving me crazy just laying/sitting here all the time!
DeleteAlso may I ask where you got the knee wheeler from? I fear I may struggle with one though as when I did my injury I also dislocated my knee at the same time.
DeleteShowering wasn’t easy. I ended up buying a bath stool so that I could sit on it and keep my leg outside the tub. I would wrap the cast in cling wrap then a towel then tape a garbage bag around it so water wouldn’t get in. I used the shower nozzle and it worked a lot better just dangling my leg outside the tub. At first before I got the bath chair I used a step stool lol. Hey you do what you gotta do right! My knee was a bit sore using the knee wheeler but it was a heck of a lot better than crutches. I live in Winnipeg and we have many medical supply stores - that’s where I purchased he knee wheeler. Actually I rented it first but ended up purchasing it in the end. I would wrap the padded area with a towel for extra comfort when I was scooting around. I also had help from family. It’s very difficult managing all this alone. I hope you have some support! My injury was only to the foot. My knee was slightly skinned but nothing major. I have three screws that remain permanently. The drs told me here that they don’t remove them. I can tell you unfortunately though that arthritis will form quite easily. I manage with heat, physio, and a topical cream for joint pain like voltaren. I find it works better than pills. I hear yah about being stir crazy boy oh boy was I ever! Mine happened in June and I had the surgery in July. Kiss the whole summer goodbye. One of the things my dr told me after I was walking again for about 6 mos was push through the pain. Each step will be painful but after 6 months of healing he cleared me to push through the pain. Restrengthen the calf muscle and leg is crucial. Because the joint will no longer be able to support much anymore. Other joints will take up the work and cause pain so the more muscle. The less painful it will be on the joints. Feel free to message again! I’m happy to help anyways I can! You can do this! If I can (and I’m a wuss with these things) then you can!!
Deletehi Silvia! i am 10 days post op from the lisfranc fusion surgery... I am counting my blessings as it seems I was much more lucky with pain than many of you were. I was only taking pain meds for about 3 days and from then on I could manage the pain pretty well. I have my post op appointment tomorrow to get my cast on and my stitches out... but one thing I have been worrisome about is that I am not sure if I should be wiggling my toes? I've been moving them quite frequently, because I can't stand the immobility of my foot, so moving them around feels quite nice but I want sure if that was okay or safe for the recovery process? I was also curious at how long it took before you could walk boot-free? I am a senior in high school this year and am not looking forward to starting the year on crutches and not being able to drive!
ReplyDeleteOh you poor thing! You’re lucky you have youth on your side. I was 28 when I was injured and as we age it gets tougher to heal. And absolutely wiggle away! It promotes circulation which helps with healing and rebuilding nerves and muscles. No weight bearing! Listen to your doctor. I never actually wore a boot. I’m in Canada, Winnipeg, and it would have cost me a lot plus my surgeon said the boot would delay recovery for me so I just went straight to walking. First with crutches then a cane then limping and now one year post op i can walk freely. It’s not the same. I limp sometimes still and it hurts at some point throughout the day. But I can run and walk and slowly it gets easier. I think you’ll be a lot quicker on the recovery. Chin up! Slow and steady ;)
ReplyDeletethank you so much! it helps a lot! glad you're all healed (:
ReplyDeleteHello, so glad i found your post. I live in MS. I had my lisfranc surgery with a permant screw placed on August 31. It has been very painful. I didnt go to sleep until 4am this morning due to spasm and twitching in my foot. It felt like everything was being torn apart, is this normal. If so why? I go to see my dr friday for 2 week check up. He has got to do something
ReplyDeleteHey! I had muscle spasms and twitches and nerve pain for a few weeks after the surgery too. I managed with pain killers and keep my foot elevated a lot. The nerve pain is the worst but try wiggling your toes. The blood flow will help with healing. I hope your doctor can provide you with some relief as well. But it does take time! It gets better. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm glad to see more activity on these posts!! I had the lisfranc surgery in March this year & had been on this blog looking for some reassurance. I'm back 6 months later for more haha :) So, like I said, surgery in March - I only had to have one screw permanently put in which is so nice compared to lots of the stories I've been reading! The healing process was HARD, the feeling of the nerve block and then it wearing off was all so strange, I felt like something was wrong but it was just because it was such an unnatural feeling. I had a cast for a while, which was agony for me honestly. I just felt like it was so tight because my foot was swollen - longest two weeks of my life. After that I was in a boot but still non-weight bearing until May. I got to start walking in the boot & was (very tentatively) back in shoes by the end of the month. I only got to do 2 sessions of physical therapy before I was told my insurance wasn't supported so I've just been doing the exercises @ home. I've been stressed recently because my foot just seems to hurt ALL the time. It's a variety of things, most often pain in my big toe/where my toes & foot connect, as well as a burning sensation where my incision is & sometimes toward the outer edge of my foot. Reading through some of these comments makes me think all of this is just normal healing stuff, I truly didn't think about how long the healing process will be for this. So nice to see other people connecting about this - I'm curious, does anyone have any advice for shoes? My podiatrist really was the worst & essentially was just like athletic shoes, bye! So I have some brooks that i wear with my orthotics mostly daily & I've been wearing Crocs RX around the house bc I read something that said you shouldn't be barefoot after the surgery (*cries*). I work as a teacher & hate wearing the sneakers with all of my outfits - dresses & running shoes don't usually go together! Any flats/sandals/dressier shoes anyone recommends? Thanks for reading all this! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Dana! Welcome to the club! The entire journey with this injury will be HARD. But you can do it. It will take a lot of strength and perseverance. Honestly. I walked barefoot as much as I could. Not as much when I first started walking but I gradually worked up to it and it worked for me. I wore whatever shoe worked comfortably. There was no right shoe. I like Clarke’s the best. There are some expensive sandals that have built in arch support. I used an insole with arch support for all my shoes and bought new shoes without heels. Kiss heels bye bye for awhile. I’m 16 months post op and have just started wearing low heels again about a month ago. And only once or twice a week. The pain will get more manageable. Physio honestly does help the most. If you can save for it financially, or even go once every couple months it’ll help a lot. But you need to strengthen your foot. Use resistance bands. The big toe pain is the worst and most common. Your gait will change. Your hips, back, knees, and ankles might hurt as they learn to compensate for the injury. But just know it’s normal and with proper care will get better in time. Your ankle, foot and calf muscles will need to learn how to walk without the big toe as their main support. For the longest time I walked kind of on the outside of my foot cuz it hurt less. Try really hard not to do that. It’ll just delay things. Remember when you walk. It’s heel toe. Heel toe. Give it time. You got this! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouragement...it really helps
DeleteHi having surgery in 10 days.before this happened I'd never heard of linsfranc.
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It’s been awhile since someone has posted, so I thought I would share my journey. I went to ortho for what I was hoping was a sprain and ended up to be lisfranc. Told me I needed surgery ASAP and had surgery that morning at 5:30am. I had no time to let everything sink in and I must say this blog has really helped me. I have a metal plate and 6 screws. I had stem cell transfer from my hip and they had to go in my calf to loosen that muscle to help relieve pressure off my foot. I am now 3 weeks post op from my surgery. I had a nerve block, which was nice when it lasted. Warning, when that wears off, it is the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. ( I told my family I would rather go through labor again) I had staples in my leg and stitches in my foot. I still can’t move my big toe and I get sharp pains in that toe that sometimes radiates. I am finally able to wiggle my toes and I am getting use to not being able to be as mobile as before. My foot turns purple if I do not have it elevated. Last Monday I went from the splint to a full cast (which HURTS, it stretches your muscles you haven’t been using, which it might have been worse with me due to them going into my calve) With all this sad; this whole process is HARD. Mentally and physically BUT know that you are not alone. It will get better. I go back April 10th and will update this post. Stay strong everyone!
ReplyDeleteHi just a week post OP had the plates in my right foot after being pulled over by the dog of all things. been reading some of the comments and seems everything I'm feeling is normal but no one said how there injury happened I was standing still and the dog chased another dog so I span on the spot lost balance and fell and I'm 37 now thanks
ReplyDeleteDon't know if anyone is still here.
ReplyDeleteI had a severe foot injury. Stirrup break of 4 bones across the top of my foot, sprain and Lisfranc rupture. I twisted the front half of My foot at a 90 degree turn from normal. My surgery was 3 weeks after the injury. I am now 7 weeks out. The underneath side of my arch still aches, but not really hurt. the ball under my big toe is pretty constant ache. I do have random shooting pains from time to time. My heel aches (don't really understand that). When using my scooter or on crutches, my foot turns blue still and begins to really ache. Really just curious , those of you who are further along in recovery, is this is pretty normal?
I am an extremely active and outdoors person. So, I really am doing everything to heal correctly and obey my doctor's orders.
I’m 7 weeks post lisfranc surgery today. I was just cleared to start walking (in my aircast) but the pain is excruciating. It’s not so much the surgical site, but my heel. I honestly thing it’s Plantar Fasciitis (which I’ve had in this foot in the past). I wonder if because of non weight bearing and having no ankle strength & atrophy of my calf, of maybe that’s what caused it. I have a call into my doctor because I really want to be able to start weight bearing, but the pain is too much. Everything the gal who originally posted (above) is spot on. I have the twitching, my foot & ankle swells up. It itches and feels like pins and needles throughout my foot a lot. I’m also very active, so I’m looking forward to starting PT. I don’t know if that answers your question, but I myself am dealing with heel pain too, so you definitely want to let your doctor know. Good luck! ��
ReplyDeleteI am 1 day post op and I am so happy I found this post because I've been freaking out. I am pregnant and had to have it done because of how bad the injury was . I can only take the pain meds every 8 hours so it doesn't hurt the baby and it'a not even touching the pain when I do get to take them . Lessening the tightness of the wraps did help. I can only sleep for an hour at a time and I'm jolted out of sleep by a muscle spasm in my foot and I'm so worried the spasms are gonna make the screws come apart
ReplyDeleteI am 4 weeks post op. I had all 5 metatarsal bones break and dislocated. I have 3 plates 16 screws in my first 3 and 2open kwire pins sticking out of my foot on my last two. My injury was pretty severe from a car crash. So severe they have already done two surgeries and say I will at least need one more if not two. I am having some really bad spasms in my foot to the point it feels as if my toes are moving involuntary. It's hurts so bad it can make me scream without any warning. It really is a hard recovery. I'm day dreaming about walking. It just seems like it will never get here. Has anyone experienced the spasms so bad 4weeks post op or even some mild depression? I have three kids. I am married so my husband does what he can. I'm strictly still on an elevation requirement so itakes daily life so hard. My kids are 17 16 and one will be 14 in a week. The older two work their own jobs buty younger daughter is here almost every day with me. I feel bad for her. It's summer and I feel broken. Has anyone besides me felt this way during their recovery?
ReplyDeletewhen does it get better suffering like a dog am 2 month post surgery and praying i get my life back this surgery and recovery has been miserable
ReplyDelete