11 weeks post lisfranc surgery

 Wow!  Has this ever been a long journey!  But it some ways, it has also gone by quickly.  I cannot believe that today marks 11 weeks since my lisfranc surgery fracture repair!  



  

11 Weeks post lisfranc surgery

My physical therapist told me today that my foot is well on the way to healing and that I might possibly be able to give up my boot next week when I reach 12 weeks post surgery.  I am still walking with my cane and sneakers around my house and using a cane with my boot when I am away from home.  My foot doesn't ache all the time anymore, and I am finding that walking is almost pain free at times. 

11 weeks post lisfranc surgery left side view

I paid my surgery bill today and actually told the administrative assistant that I thought my surgeon didn't charge enough!  After all, my surgeon is the reason I can walk!  She laughed and said she had never heard that comment about a bill before!

11 weeks post lisfranc surgery right side view

Here is a close up of my lisfranc surgery scar at 11 weeks.  I am starting to think I really will have a life after my lisfranc injury and surgery!

lisfranc surgery scar at 11 weeks post op

Weekly Lisfranc Surgery images during recovery

 Lisfranc photo recovery journal week by week

Lisfranc surgery image day 5 OUCH!

Lisfranc surgery image day 11 - still in a cast 

Lisfranc surgery image week 2 after cast removal

lisfranc surgery image after stitches were removed week 2

Lisfranc surgery image week 4

Lisfranc surgery image week 5

lisfranc surgery image week 6

                                                            Lisfranc surgery image week 7

Lisfranc surgery image Week 8

Lisfranc surgery image week 9

Lisfranc surgery image week 10

lisfranc surgery image week 11

At week 12, my recovering foot still turns purple.   I will know when it is completely healed when it stops changing color.

Lisfranc surgery image week 12

Lisfranc surgery image week 13

Lisfranc surgery image week 14

Lisfranc surgery image week 15

lisfranc surgery image week 16

Lisfranc surgery image week 17
walking on the treadmill 2 times a week at 1.5 miles per hour for 5 minutes 

Lisfranc surgery image week 18
I am pain free when my physical therapist manipulates and massages my foot 

Lisfranc surgery image week 19

lisfranc surgery image week 20

lisfranc surgery image week 21

lisfranc surgery image week 22

lisfranc surgery image week 23

Lisfranc recovery encouragement

I am so excited to find out that Maurice Jones-Drew will be back playing football this season!  I started following Jones-Drew's recovery closely after finding out he had lisfranc surgery on Dec 28th, 2012.  His return to full running back status has given me hope that I will indeed one day walk normally again without pain.  

I am nowhere near professional athlete status and knowing that Jones-Drew had lisfranc surgery, dealt with the long painful recovery and is now actually playing football again is inspiring.  Congratulations Maurice Jones-Drew!

(The following article was posted on espn.news...... click on Maurice Jones-Drew's name if you want to see the actual article on espn's website.

Maurice Jones-Drew has been cleared by the Jacksonville Jaguars' medical staff to participate in training camp, although he will be brought along slowly, coach Gus Bradley said Tuesday.

"We're extremely excited about the progress he has made," Bradley told reporters.

The 28-year-old Jones-Drew missed 10 games in 2012 because of a Lisfranc injury to his left foot. The running back underwent surgery in December and spent several months in a walking boot.

"Now, it's back to football," Jones-Drew told reporters. "It's been a long time coming. I'm excited to be out there running around and playing."

He said he was training during his rehab "like I wasn't hurt."

“

Now, it s back to football. It's been a long time coming. I'm excited to be out there running around and playing.

”-- Maurice Jones-Drew

Lisfranc surgery scar

I am10 weeks into recovery from lisfranc surgery and now I am noticing how ugly my  scar is!  I guess I never thought about it before now because I was concentrating so hard on coping with recovery pain and learning to walk again.

My physical therapist suggested vitamin E oil, so I am going to start applying that daily to my scar and see what happens.  If anyone else knows of something to make a scar less noticeable, please post it on my blog!

It is kind of nice arriving at this point, where my biggest concern is scarring!!!

lisfranc surgery scar 10 weeks post op

lisfranc surgery scar 10 weeks post op

10 weeks post lisfranc surgery

10 exhausting painful weeks of lisfranc surgery recovery are finally behind me! 

This week my physical therapist told me I am doing too much physical therapy.  I have been going to the HydroWorx pool 6 days a week, and taking land physical therapy 2 days a week.  In addition I have been doing my at home exercises twice a day and most days I have been  practicing walking in our pool at home.  By Friday it was painful to do anything at all related to walking.

I have been forced to take the week-end off from all therapy and give my foot a chance to calm down.  In my eagerness to be normal again, I have overdone my recovery and have pushed too hard, too fast.   I have to turn down my enthusiasm and admit to myself I cannot speed up the healing process.  Patience with my foot has been the hardest thing for me to learn during this arduous recovery phase.

10 weeks post lisfranc surgery 

The seduction of walking during lisfranc recovery

I honestly don't know what is happening to the logical part of my brain.  My foot is certainly screaming its' displeasure, but the seduction of walking, albeit it limping, is winning.

I am admitting that I am guilty of trying to do too much during my lisfranc surgery recovery.  Now that I have graduated to a cane, I am constantly tempted to walk too much, carry too much, and try to do too many of the daily household tasks.  

But my worse offense is that I am tempted to just skip the cane altogether and let myself limp around because it is simply faster to get to my desired destination.  

Tasting the exhilarating experience of walking like a regular breathing human again, while in the hydroWorx pool or in our swimming pool,  has made me thirsty to regain a normal walking life.  The temptation to repeat what I can do in the water on land has simply overtaken me.

After 2 hours of doing this and that around our house, my foot is not only swollen but I have a level 4 pain.  I'm finally admitting that I need to skip the rest of the household tasks I had planned for this morning and elevate and ice my foot once again.  I am, after all, due for an hour of Hydrowox therapy later this morning followed by attending a funeral.

I decided my challenge in the next few days will be to regain the ability to listen to my foot, and not give into the seduction of walking and regaining a normal life.  I have to slow down and plan more carefully how many steps realistically I can take in a day, with the aid of my cane. SIGH!!!!!

Post lisfranc physical therapy land exercises

Someone who is going through a similar surgery asked me to post the therapy exercises my physical therapist is having me do twice a day.  Please be sure and check with your own physical therapist, surgeon or physician before doing any of these exercises as your limitations may be different from mine.

All of the exercises have been helpful in learning to put weight on my recovering foot as well as gaining the flexibility and strength to learn to walk again.  

The exercise I have found to be most helpful is the Ankle/Foot toe curl.  Instead of using a towel, I bought  30 small marbles that I try and pick up with my toes.  I have started regaining toe flexibility because of this exercise.  My big toe is now less numb and I have regained about half of my big toe flexibility again!

Try leaving your therapy marbles out when you have friends over! You will be surprised how many will want to try out their own toe flexibility.

9 weeks post lisfranc surgery

Reaching 9 weeks post lisfranc surgery has been an exciting time.  

9 weeks post lisfranc surgery

My foot is not swollen all the time and I am not always in constant pain. 

incision at 9 weeks post lisfranc surgery

swelling is reduced at 9 weeks post lisfranc surgery

 I have even experienced a few fleeting moments where I have forgotten I have had surgery on my foot! 

Right side 9 weeks post lisfranc surgery

left side 9 weeks post lisfranc surgery



I am starting to see my ankles again!

left side 9 weeks post lisfranc surgery

Graduating from a crutch to a cane during lisfranc recovery!

Actively recovering from Lisfranc surgery has been the bulk of my life recently and I have made enormous progress towards walking again!

For the past two weeks I have been going to HydroWorx therapy 6 days a week, physical land therapy 2 times a week, and also doing my at home exercises twice a day.

My physical therapist was on vacation over the 4th of July so another therapist filled in for her.  Last week, he tried to move me to the next step in recovery which is to use the cane instead of a crutch.  At that point, I didn't have the balance or the strength in my recovering foot to manage a cane.

This week, my regular physical therapist was back and she couldn't believe the progress I had made during the last 7 days since we last  met!  She had me walk for her without my crutch and was stunned. 

I filled her in on my progress in HydroWorx therapy and she said she wished all her patients had access to a HydroWorx pool.  We both believe my HydroWorx therapy has greatly accelerated my recovery.

She handed me a cane and explained how to use it and after a few wobbly attempts, and some additional guidance from her, I have now officially graduated from a crutch to a cane!  

I can now use my cane while wearing sneakers in my home, and use the cane while in my boot in unfamiliar surroundings!



Good-bye crutches!!!

Accelerated recovery from lisfranc surgery using HydroWorx therapy

I have been doing 30 minutes a day of HydroWorx therapy 6 days a week and have made monumental leaps forward in my lisfranc surgery recovery!

The HydroWorx therapy pool's floor is an elevator which slowly lowers to the desired water level.  The higher the water level, the less weight on my recovering foot.  

Click for more information on HydroWorx Therapy pools
http://www.silvercrestproperties.com/node/459

The floor of the HydroWorx pool is a treadmill with adjustable speed.  I have found if I let the treadmill do the work, my recovering foot will naturally make the correct motions for walking.


There are cameras in the HydroWorx pool so that my sports therapist and I can check to see if I am making the correct walking motions with both feet.  We found that when it is painful to put weight on my recovering foot, I compensate by moving my "normal" foot incorrectly as well. 

 The camera's allow her to point out what I am doing incorrectly, so that I can make the right adjustments.  

Click for more information on HydroWorx therapy pools
http://www.silvercrestproperties.com/node/459

  
This week I have been able to walk correctly (under water) and be completely PAIN FREE!!