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| 2 1/2 wks post op removal of compression plates, fixing screws & arthroscopy. |
I still have internal stitches which will dissolve in time, but I can go back to bathing with "my foot"- heaven ! I looked down after the dressings were removed & thought there were a couple of blonde hairs that were perhaps stuck to the sticky residue left behind, but after a gentle tug & a bit more scrutiny, I discovered that they were in fact attached ! They were the 'tails' for the internal stitches- LOL
I will start with an intensive moisturising regime & will buy some "Bio Oil" to rub into the scar. My surgeon says that this stuff really helps with scar healing.......... time will tell !
I explained how I'd tried to build up the weight bearing last week & the amount of pain that I experienced afterwards.............. After an examination, there was some tenderness around the 3rd & 4th metatarsals. My surgeon commented that it is possible the bones haven't fully fused yet, which would explain the discomfort. He was hoping that I would start full weight bearing in a shoe yesterday, but in view of the pain etc, he has asked me to continue with trying to build up the weight bearing whilst wearing the (now stinking !) boot & I will see him again in two weeks time for another examination & X ray. But the good news was I am now ready to meet with the physio terrorists as I fondly call them & they can now be let loose on "the foot".
I must say, my ankle & foot are so painful & stiff at the moment it is hard for me to believe that I will manage to walk in a shoe in a couple of weeks time, but I'm hopeful that along with targeted physiotherapy exercises & a focused effort from me, it can happen. I'm sitting at the moment on my sofa with my laptop on my knees & both feet flat on the floor. Not really weight bearing, but bending the ankle joint & flattening the foot on the floor. My ankle joint has been in a rather odd position pretty much since I had my accident & although I do try to bend the joint & rotate it from time to time, it still will not reach the 90 degree angle which is normal.The pain has been gradually building whilst I've been writing this post & I know I will have to elevate it again shortly.
It's all very well, but when does this need stop ? Does anyone know if this need to elevate gradually lessens & "the foot" will build up enough strength to become strong enough not to need it so often ? I'd be grateful for an indication of how long from where I am now this will begin to happen too.
I have been thinking that swimming would be a good thing to do, but there are no facilities close enough to me to be able to get to without a lift or taxi. Maybe I might just have to stomach the bills & overcome the diminished self confidence & just go ! Quite frankly I think I'd do anything at the moment to help reduce the pain & accelerate the recovery process if I could.
Hi Foredeck
ReplyDeleteThe swelling was controlled after I was able to do weight bearing exercises. The first two weeks of WB was very difficult. I had to stop using the boot and use MBT sandals for a week because of an unhealed surgical wound. Needless to say, the sandals gave me little ankle support and my foot, ankle and toes hurt like hell. I transitioned to an MBT shoe and ankle brace. This helped with the pain a lot.
Gradually over the next four weeks, I was able to do more and more. Only until you start using the muscles in the foot and legs will the swelling subside. The muscles need to contract in order to squeeze the blood in the veins back to the heart.
Don't push it. Be patient. Start with small goals. My first goal was to stand on my two feet without assistance for one minute.
Everybody's recovery is different. I read in a health forum about a racquetball player who went back to playing after three months. I am at three months and nowhere near capable of doing that. That depressed me.
I still get depressed and anxious although less frequently. You will improve as well and get through this.
On a positive note - PT and pool therapy really pays off. Some of the things I can do now. I am able to walk forward, backwards, and sideways. I can balance on my bad foot for two minutes on the round side of the half exercise ball, occasionally using one finger to balance. I can stand on my toes with two feet. I never thought I would be able to do these things before, but it took a lot of work to get there. It will take even more work to get back to where I was. Look forward to some of these successes.
Stay strong and don't get frustrated and make decisions to potentially make an unfortunate situation worse. If you follow fractal foot's site, you will read that I know that too well.
As soon as you are strong enough to ambulate to a pool, start the pool therapy to strengthen your ankle and improve balance. Start with water level up to your neck. Stretch your toes and ankle in the hot water whirlpool. My pool had a wheelchairs with access and capable staff to assist. Try to find one in your area that has this as well.
Please keep us posted on your recovery.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Nucklehead,
ReplyDeleteHi Nucklehead,
Thank you for your post, good advice & practical information too. Suffering with the pain & frustration as I am at the moment, I've got total admiration for the progress that you have managed to achieve. I understand the pain you must have gone through & the dedication & determination you must have had to do it!
In fact reading about what you have managed to do so far is a real inspiration to me & a reminder that I need to stay positive & determined to be able to get to where I want to.
I have a few questions for you if you don't mind ?
The PT that you refer to, is that you going to a gym, or working with a physiotherapist ?
The 'aids' that you've been using during your PT such as the ankle brace & half ball, were they provided for you, or did you buy them ?
Did you buy any PT equipment that you can recommend?
How often do you go to PT ?
Lastly, please can you explain to me what a MBT shoe is ?
Many thanks :)
Emma - Hang in there! Based on my read you have been doing great. Keep up the posts and keep us informed. I'll also send you information regarding PT as soon as I get to that point - so you have some comparison info. I think for me, PT is administered in a PT facility that is recommended by your Surgeon. I think they have all the equipment there, and that you are supposed to go so many times per week. This is generally paid for by insurance at least for a certain amount of sessions. Glenn
ReplyDeleteOne more thing. I took my recovery in my own hands. For example, during the two weeks I was waiting for my hospital PT to call me, I researched, found and paid for my own private PT. The two weeks of hard work of stretching and strengthening really paid off. By the time, I went to the hospital PT, she was so impressed with the range of motion I had in my ankles and toes. PT mantra - stretch, stretch and stretch some more. And hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
ReplyDeleteRemember you hurt your lisfranc joint and TMT. But your toes, ankle, calves, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors etc are all still healthy. But due to your immobility, they shrank and tightened signficantly. If you lead a basic healthy lifestyle then the ligaments, tendons and muscles in these areas should improve much faster than your injured area. Once these areas improve, then your foot won't take so much of the stresses, because everything from your toe to your hip work in harmony to help you walk and move.
I am glad that my progress has inspired you. I still have ways to go. Just today, I tried walking in a regular shoe and started limping - which depressed me again. Helping you also helps remind myself to stay positive. You too will start to inspire others with your recovery.
Hi Foredeck,
ReplyDeleteThis will be a long post!
>>> The PT that you refer to, is that you going to a gym, or working with a physiotherapist ?
Both. I live in Canada so our problem with health care is the waiting list. When I was allowed to begin PT, there was still a two week wait list for the PT offered by my hospital. What I did was see a private PT, for two weeks, three times a week. I saw one that specialized in pool therapy who taught me exercises to do on my own in the pool. I also saw one that worked with track and field athletes suffering from foot and ankle injuries. When the hospital's PT finally called me,
I also worked out in a gym everyday, inlcuding the days I went to PT (not recommended). I started biking 10 minutes, then worked myself up to 45 minutes. I did lower body workouts consistenting of leg presses, quad and hamstring curls, and typcial upper body workouts. Occassionally when I felt good, I would walk on the treadmill. I started at 1.0 and eventually worked up to 3.0 setting. I also initially braced at least 50% of my body weight with the arm bars and moved towards occassionally bracing myself. I would start at 2 minutes, then to 5, 10, 15 and eventually 20 minutes, and did this everytime I increased my speed/weight bearing.
At night before I slept I would soak in the bath with really warm water and stretch my toes and ankles as I did in the hot tub after my pool therapy (so basically stretching at least twice a day). I also found the warm water was really therapetic and improved my mood. I was really depressed then.
>>> The 'aids' that you've been using during your PT such as the ankle brace & half ball, were they provided for you, or did you buy them ?
No they were not provided for me. I bought the ankle brace ($80) because my ankles felt weak and I didn't want to sprain it. Nobody referred it to me. It allowed me to walk better (remember, I couldn't use the cam boot which offers execellent ankle support).
>>> Did you buy any PT equipment that you can recommend?
ReplyDeleteI bought:
- Therabands of different resistances (big elastic bands for exercises). Wait until you start PT first as they might sell the same ones your therapist will using.
- Athletic ankle brace - http://supports4less.com/activeankle/anklebraces/activeankle.htm
>>> How often do you go to PT ?
At least twice a week since I started weight bearing on June 15th.
>>> Lastly, please can you explain to me what a MBT shoe is ?
MBT are off the shelf shoe that have a rockered and stiff sole. It was recommended by my surgeon. Other brands are Sketchers rock and tone, Ry etc. It helps you with walking because you dont have to flex your foot to push off with your toes during your gait. This is the most challenging thing for our injury. There are two kinds you can purchase - stable vs unstable. I recommend you try the stable ones first, because that resembles the rocker on your walker boot. I couldn't find any of the stable brands in Canada (we suck) so I just used MBTs, but I know they sell them in the US. You can find more information in the link below.
http://www.totalrelieffootwear.com/all-about-rocker-sole-shoes
Not to get too political - but yikes - this is where America is headed with Healthcare? Waiting lists for PT? Not sure who is worse - Our mother country (UK), or my friends to the north of me :-) LOL. I will tell you this though - since I am considered self employed I have no company subsidized healthcare. You don't even want to know what I pay a year for healthcare insurance premiums! So maybe that's the tradeoff. A friend of mine was in London a few weeks back - he tripped on a curb and fell and hit his head pretty bad - he went right to an ER and was patched up - no questions asked and no money exchanged - told me it was his first intro to socialized medicine.
ReplyDeleteGood posts folks - keeping these in mind for my phase II recovery..
Lots of helpful information. I'm still working on flexing my ankle (up and down). I do a bent leg standing stretch, a straight leg stretch, and use my hand to stretch. I do a 20 sec hold, 5 times each. I would love to know of any other ankle exercises that have worked fo all of you.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Sissie
Hi Foredeck..you got lots of good advice and info from others, so I'll keep this pretty short:
ReplyDeleteYes! the swelling does go down, the foot stops turning purple (ugh!) and eventually you don't need to elevate it. I think I stopped after about 3 1/2 months. It's really true, after you start moving again, the foot starts pumping the blood and lymph back up.
The most valuable toys I had were resistance bands to strengthen the ankle and marbles and balls to work the foot and toes. Plus a stationary bike.
Best wishes for the recovery!
Emma - I hope your recovery is progressing and all is OK. Please do not hesitate to reach out - Fellow Lisfrancers are here to provide support!
ReplyDelete:-) Regards, Glenn
Emma, how are you doing these days? Please let us know! I hope that the recovery is progressing well, but I know it can get really frustrating.. Best wishes, Chris
ReplyDeletePhysiotherapy in Public and Private Hospitals and others Healthcare Services Australia wide.
ReplyDeletePhysiotherapy in Knutsford
Hi Emma,
ReplyDeleteI was elevating my foot for about a month, it was a long time before I was able to weight-bear comfortably enough to get into exercise. I did get an exercise bike which I set up next to my bed (so I could flop onto it afterwards!) after about three months post-screw insertion. After about 5 months I started going to the pool and it was fantastic - I had gained weight over the course of the injury and this has really been helping. I'm 11 months post-injury and 4 weeks post-screw removal now and going on regular walks and I wear pretty shoes (occasionally!). My only word of caution however is to be weary of pain post-exercise, when I was first trying to exercise I found that it often made it worse and aggravated my foot. It was easier to do things like lying on my back and "cycling" in the air.
I would love to add you to my blogroll and follow your recovery! I'm over at lisfrancenstein.wordpress.com - come on over and feel free to ask any questions you may have :)
Alissa
I'd love to add you
your post is useful, providing inspiration for those who suffer with pain and frustration, you have to do you have to be patient in its current condition. Many people with a therapy pool is really useful, soon as you are strong enough to ambulate to the swimming pool, pool starting therapy to strengthen your ankles and improve balance. They perform the therapy on a regular basis and gradually it is expected that with such therapy is only until you start using the muscles in the leg and foot swelling will subside. The muscles must contract to squeeze the blood in veins return to the heart.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are with your determination to recover from the condition that you are experiencing now
You Were Suffered Lisfranc Injury?
I am 8 weeks post surgery and still not weight bearing. It's my right foot so I can't drive either. The lack of activity and being unable to get out of the house is very difficult. I don't have a lot of pain...some rolling, kind of tingling and some sharp pain which doesn't last long. I go back to the doctor at 11 weeks and hope to begin weight bearing in my boot. The boot has been a Godsend since I can loosen it when it becomes uncomfortable due to swelling and just touching the incision sites. It also makes it possible for me to shower without the plastic garbage bags over the cast. My doc says I probably won't have PT..he says that walking will probably be the only PT I'll need. I feel like I desperately need to EXERCISE and was hoping that PT would provide that. I think I'll talk to the doc about the possibility of just PT with stationary bike and some aqua therapy. He said his experience is that the therapists get a bit over zealous and mess things up.
ReplyDeleteI left the last comment and I forgot to mention that I am 65. Is being a post menopausal female attribute to me not being weight bearing at almost 9 weeks post surgery?
ReplyDeleteThanks for discussing about Physiotherapy Pool. I appreciate your work and this blog post. Great work, keep this carry on. I would like to visit again and like to read some more interesting information.
ReplyDeleteAnon - my consultant does 9-10 weeks NWB as standard, so I don't think it's age or hormones...
ReplyDeleteI've been out of cast and PWB for a week now (in a boot) and am amazed at how well the (P)WB is going so far...
the theory of 9-10 week wait, as I understand it, is to allow the fractures (I have 2 major and 1 minor plus a 'full house' of impressive dislocations) to really get a good chance at firming up first
I hope and trust you've improved loads since your post 9 months ago
scared 16 Feb. 1930
ReplyDeleteAnon. Does anyone know how long a lisfranc injury needs to reach a plateau,so the surgery can be performed?
Can someone please recommend some affordable tennis shoes that help after wards? I haven't found a shoe under $100 that will hold my foot in place WO it turning over. I'm falling always!I have tried on the new balance 982v2 w rollbar but can't afford them! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! THANKS IN ADVANCE!
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ReplyDeleteRegards,
Neck Pain Physiotherapist London – Physiomove London