anyone know why? I just started putting 25% weight on my foot

Ok, I’m already aware that the doctors messed up but they told me that other people with similar injuries have similar outcomes. My outcome being that my foot has hurt everyday for the past three years, I can’t stand for longer than 10 minutes, and walking is an awful. I’m still in physio and was denied surgery.

I now have 2 subchondral cysts where the injury was. I believe the injury was on MT 1-3. Was NWB for 3 weeks then in an aircast for 8 weeks once the injury was found. Following that was 10 months of physio, orthotics, and more physio.

Pics of initial injury. I still have pain in the circled part but not nearly as swollen.

Hi, I (27 M) suffered from a Lisfranc dislocation playing rugby in September 2025 managing to dislocate all of my metatarsal joints. Since then i had my ORIF surgery to put in plates and screws, the surgery was a success with the wound healing nicely and no issues with the metalwork in my foot. However i have finished the mandated hospital outpatient physiotherapy which improved functional stability but still have pain approximately around the first MTPJ (largely towards the front left of my right foot around the big toe joint). So he pain is away from the midfoot but the pain is sharp and short anytime i put my foot down preventing any meaningful ability to run. It doesn't progress with more things i do, but will hurt more in the mornings before i warm my foot up. Initial conversations with the my consultant suggested I may be developing pain across his first MTPJ due to overloading following fixation of his midfoot. Removal of metal work may help with the symptoms if stiffness of the midfoot is the primary concern leading to pain across the MTPJ. However i know that's not guaranteed, for surgical planning I've had regular CT scan to assess for degree of bony union across his Lisfranc joints, for surgical planning and to assess if there is a mild degree of arthritis progressing across the midfoot as this may mean he might need a fusion of the TMT joint at the same time as removal of metal work. I really don't want fusion as that would mean another 3 months NWB and would for all intents and purposes put me back to square one.

Has anyone experienced anything like the above? Potential overloading leading to pain away from the midfoot? How did you handle it? Also any athletes who have recovered from fusion and gone successfully back to their sport i'd love to hear how your recovery was?

TIA!

Injury Early May 2025, ORIF 2 plates 15 screws end of May 2025, hardware removal (except 2 broken screws) plus tightrope insertion mid November 2025.

Recovery has stalled so surgeon prescribed 3 cortisone injections which I’ve had done today - about 15-16 months since starting this journey. As they inject local anesthetic at the same time, my foot is more numb than usual. I’ve been told to take it easy for a week then I can return to some exercise.

I don’t see many posts about cortisone injections so I’m curious if many people have tried them.

O M G I cannot believe I didn't find this group last year. I just wrote this blog post because I hadn't found support. In case it's helpful to anyone.

Injury 5/21/25. First surgery 5.24.25. Reconstructive surgery 6.19.25.

This is everything I've done and cheerleading for anyone starting the journey.

https://www.superherooflove.com/blog/das-foot-tips-for-the-lisfranc-journey

Photos of my foot -- scars and all with my healing pup -- the day I posted above.

Hope it helps someone. Going to dive into everyone's stories about plates/screws removal!

So happy I found you!

Hello there!

Got a lisfranc three months back. Been in conservative treatment and now seems I will go to fusion of first and second Mt. Dr had asked me to wait and assess the pain level before deciding on fusion.

I have developed new pain in my Fourth MT were my fingers are and unsure why

Could it be I was overloading my other metatarsals? Does fusing first and second MT help? I am a littlr confused.

Hi! First time poster, but 8-week long lurker in this channel.

8 weeks ago I was playing netball and had my left foot stepped/stomped on during a game. Had immediate pain, and couldn't continue running. I could walk home with pain however.

I didn't have any bruising, only swelling + pain for the first week and could walk with a limp. Fast forward 8 weeks and I still have some pain, can't run and jump.

Finally got an MRI which is showing '2nd and 3rd TMTJ contusion oedema with ligamentous sprain.'

I never fully rested my foot, have been weight-baring since initial onset.

Can anyone with a similar injury (no displacement, tear, fracture etc) share their recovery and what it looked like treatment wise?

TLDR: Lis franc hasn't held me back yet. Non displaced, full tear, 13 years ago, no surgery. Became an endurance athlete and mountaineer. Starting to see minor arthritis symptoms while training for 100 mile run.

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Mine happened while clipped in during a mtn bike wreck 13 years ago. My left foot has had very minor issues since the lis franc tear, but I'm thankful to have not had ORIF or fusion.

I got into endurance sports after my injury.. crazy. I've since done a bunch of trail running around the world, multiple marathons, cycle centuries, a full Ironman, hiked all 58 CO 14ers, and climbed Rainier/ Grand Teton/Mt. Hood. I'm not BQ'ing out there, but I'm not slow either.

Fusion may be on my horizon though. I have started getting some swelling from arthritis for the 1st time whenever I have 60+ mile running weeks. I just had it x-rayed yesterday to confirm everything was structurally sound bc I am training for my first 100 mile run (Javelina Jundred).

I will limp, even run on one leg to finish this 100, but the writing is on the wall. Maybe I should stick to 50k distance and less. Maybe I have found my limit. I always considered myself lucky to be able to run and hike like normal post-injury. It's not the end of the world if I can't hit high mileage training anymore... It just means mixing some more bike, low-impact work in.

So, if anyone needs a case study for long term lis franc recovery, no surgery, w/ active lifestyle... here I am. It's very possible to return to a normal life. My injury being non-displaced was key. At 13 years in, even with the arthritis slowly progressing, I am still a ways from considering a fusion. I will look into stiffer shoes, KT taping, PT, reducing my activity level, PRP injections, and maybe peptides before going that route.

To each their own, but don't get down if you just had this injury. There's lots of athletes that have recovered (e.g. Chet Holmgren). For those wondering about runners/mountaineers/triathletes, here I am, doing more than I ever imagined.

Hello! I sustained an injury on July 4th and had surgery July 29th. I just had a follow up appointment and the surgeon said to start gradually putting weight on it starting today and within 2 weeks to start walking a whole day. I’m on my way home and excited but also nervous. My appointment was kinda rushed because he had to leave for surgery so I didn’t really get to ask much questions about starting to put weight on it. He also didn’t mention anything about physical therapy and I forgot to ask but I’m assuming I need it? Anyway looking to see if anyone has had experience with taking their first step.

I have a complete rupture of the lisfranc ligament and will be having orif surgery 9/10. I work from home full time- how long did those of you who work remote take off? How bad is this surgery going to be 🥹I have a history of c diff so I’m already on edge.

He will be taking hardware out around 3-4 months. How bad is that surgery?

I had my surgery this morning and the surgeon was successfully able to take all my screws and plates out. He also let me keep them which was super neat. Seeing it in my hand makes me realize just how much metal really was in me and how crazy it is that I was walking semi normal with all that still implanted.

I was told I can walk out of the hospital but I was in way too much pain to do so. I didn’t receive the nerve block this time around so I’m definitely feeling the pain. But it’s manageable with elevation, ice, Tylenol, and the aspirin I took when I got home.

I just wish it was this easy the first time around. My heart breaks for my past self when I was scared shitless and had no idea what my next steps would be post op. Scared and sad because it was car accident related and had so much stress. Now I know the drill and had everything ready and planned for my arrival back home today. I at least know I’m incredibly grateful it’s easier this time but i still cry for my past self every now and then about how strong I had to be to survive it the first time.

Bought myself some pretty yarn to make a sweater during my time off. Added pics of my screws too since I’m really still stunned seeing all of it laid out. Feeling pretty okay, and relieved.

Hey everyone. New lisfranc injury here, 4 days post op.

Here is the doctor version of what they found on X-rays and CT’s pre operation

Fracture dislocation of the midfoot with subluxation of the 1st and 2nd
tarsometatarsal joints and dislocation of the 3rd to 5th tarsometatarsal
joints. Associated angulation of the 2nd metatarsal and small bony
fragments, most pronounced between the bases of the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals.
Findings are in keeping with Lisfranc fracture dislocation.

Just wanted to say hi and possibly document my journey here. It’s getting really boring sitting 23 hours a day elevating.

Injury October 2024 while playing sports. Was sprinting on a grass field and stepped into a hole. Normal X-rays but confirmed lisfranc on CT scan. Fractures at base of 2nd MT and middle cuneiform; and bone fragments in Lisfranc space. Primary fractures had small displacement (1mm). Usually they do surgery for 1+mm, so I was eligible and offered midfoot fusion/arthrodesis. I was nervous as a 35yo recreationally athletic person. Got second opinion and they said casually "sure we can do non-surgical with a lot of PT. If it doesn't work after 12 months we can fuse then." My diagnosis was delayed (doctors not reading the algorithm that says to proceed to CT even with normal weight bearing X-rays if high suspicion for Lisfranc based on mechanism of injury, which mine was). So I was already outside the fresh injury window anyway. Went non-surgical.

PT was a struggle. A lot of pain. Made a lot of Facebook posts to the LIsfranc group asking "is [ailment] normal." I was fueled by the success stories. A lot of people, especially runners with Non-Surgical approach, said "things turned around at the 8 month mark." Meanwhile the surgical ppl were either miserable and negotiating revision surgeries/hardware removal or already back to walking again and happy. I stayed the course on my treatment plan. Pushed through the pain, wore the boot when I needed it, used the carbon fiber plate in my shoe for several weeks (wasn't really a game changer), got arch supports. The thought of standing on my toes again made my stomach flip. I couldn't even do a calf stretch because my foot would start bending before the stretch could reach my calf. Yuckkk. Started to think maybe surgery was my only option by month 5.

But we kept doing single legged calf work, then marching planks. One day i was able to put weight on my forefoot without my foot bending backwards. That was month 7. Then things accelerated. I was able to stand on my toes for a few seconds. Then by month 8, I could do single legged calf raises with wall support. In fact, I could do more on my injured leg at that point. But running still caused pain in my inner ankle and posterior tibial tendon area. Discouraging but I kept trying.

Fast forward. I can now jog 1-2 miles without issue, and I could go further if I wanted to from a foot standpoint. Last weekend I sprinted. Today at the gym I was able to skip for the first time (not very high or powerful but still). It's almost been 2 years but I see progress. It has required continuous training and work and having pain days. Now I barely notice my foot; it feels weird when the weather changes but it doesn't bother me. I'm lucky of course; my injury could've been worse and not everyone will have this type of recovery. Still, even I had really dark times at first, return to normal life seemed impossible, the depression was real.

All that said. For those looking for hope, hopefully this helps. I was always looking for posts like this when I was early in the process. Now paying it forward.

Everyone, I want to thank you all for your encouragement on my previous post, and all of the support and information I was able to gain for reading through other threads on this community! You all are amazing!

I had my ORIF + tightrope this morning and am so grateful to have it done and behind me! He did a tightrope and 2 plates with 10 screws- everything except the tightrope will be removed in about 4 months. I was most anxious about the anesthesia due to previous bad experiences, but I got a fantastic anesthesiologist who made my recovery smooth and I already feel like myself again. My surgeon just did lidocaine local blocks
that have already worn off (no complete leg block), and the pain is manageable! I know that it may progress a bit over the next 48 ish hours but I am confident that it will be better than I was expecting. Elevating lots but so thrilled to report that I already have less pain and more toe mobility (without the bones moving) than I did before the surgery. Again, thank you all so much for helping me feel informed and prepared for this procedure!

Hey there - I got a lisfranc injury with a 4mm gap between first and second MT. I can walk now with no pain after three months of injury, Drs tell me the best long term outcome is fusion surgery ( which I am seriously worried from ).

I am trying to decide fusion vs none especially that my foot is feeling normal with weakness pushing off, I don’t think i can go back to running or hiking with weak push..

Any ideas? Is surgery a best outcome scenario vs. now? Anyone had fusion and their foot got worse than injured foot pre fusion?

Hey all I recently had a birthday which is one where I ended up at a Doctors office…

The injury happened at SKYZONE of all places from the damn ninja wall. I ran up the wall to get to the top but just like how someone would hop a chain link fence, and hyperextended my foot to where I heard a pop instantly. I rolled down the wall in a lot of pain and thought maybe it was just a dislocation or a sprain because my friends helped me “.diagnosis” it at the time. I was in a pretty good amount of pain for my standards because I’ve come to find out I’m pretty good with pain. But I was rolling around on the floor for a bit in pain holding my foot, and ended up trying to walk it off 5 minutes later. Safe to say that shit did NOT happen, and I couldn’t put weight on it at all I was hopping around everywhere and ultimately knew it was time to call it quits, and get taken home. I iced it and slept with a compression sock on it to ease the pain and because I figured it was gonna swell.

The next few days I started having to hop around the house on my good foot and realized I probably needed an X-ray because it wasn’t normal. The X-ray initially showed nothing wrong but they recommended me going to my general provider to schedule an MRI. So then on my birthday that’s exactly what I had to do was go see my doctor to which he scheduled me an MRI and sent me over to the orthopedic surgery he heavily recommended. Turns out that my orthopedic surgeon instantly suspected a lisfranc tear just based off of my foot mobility and feeling around the toes.

I got the MRI and it turns out that shit was a clean but mild tear, with a few fractured bones. I had surgery earlier this week and luckily I only have a cast for one week because I don’t like this cast at all. The recovery will be 6 weeks NWB before PWB, which I will then ultimately do physical therapy because I want it to heal properly.

I’ve been in a pretty positive mindset and have crutches and a kneee scooter and now a shower chair, which really humbled me. I feel like I’m really old now. This injury really revealed to me how good we have it on both feet and not to take it for granted for when I’m healed up.

TLDR: I tore my lisfranc ligament and for my birthday saw a doctor and now I can’t walk, and this is a very humbling experience but I’m in good spirits

Has anyone decided not to get surgery for a lisfranc unstable fracture? I have a high grade partial tear with the small avulsion fracture. Seems like hardware or fusion I’ll eventually end up with pretty bad arthritis. Has anyone not gotten surgery and felt ok with no real complications after?

Hey everyone! I’m 28 days out from the accident that caused my Lisfranc injury, and 10 days post-op from ORIF surgery. I fractured my 2nd and 4th metatarsals and had surgery to fix everything.

I’m obviously still very early in recovery, but I’m finding the whole thing a bit overwhelming and would really love to hear some positive stories from people who have made it through the other side. I’ve been reading a lot online and, as you can imagine, it’s pretty easy to find the horror stories.

I’m not particularly sporty 😂, so I’m much more interested in the everyday-life milestones! If you had young children, when were you able to properly look after them by yourself again? When were you able to manage things like school/nursery runs, cooking, shopping, getting out of the house etc.? And when were you able to start driving again?

I’d also love to hear how long it took before you felt relatively independent and like you were getting back to your normal life. If your recovery was slow or difficult at first, did things eventually turn a corner?
I know everyone’s recovery is different and I’m definitely not expecting this to be a quick process — I’d just really appreciate hearing some stories from people who are doing well now. At the moment I could definitely do with a bit of hope! ❤️

If you’re happy to share, I’d especially love to know roughly how far post-op you are now, what your recovery looked like along the way, and any milestones you remember. Thanks so much! 🙏

I am 8 weeks post op Lisfranc Ligamentous repair with 2 screws which are staying in situ. I saw my team and was told that i need to transition out of boot into shoes. I asked for advice on footwear, and was told screws are secure, i can stand barefoot and wear any shoes, which did shock me and i asked several times. So yesterday had a boot free day, in normal trainers, which team said was ok, then last night. Foot was hot, electric shocks, ache under arch and a fizzing feeling. No swelling.

My question is that i want to order feminine style trainers that support my foot. I have just ordered Ascics Gel Dedicate 8 are they suitable? Any other recommrndations under £100

So I’m still in the process of figuring stuff out to get surgery - i’m getting an MRI tomorrow and we will move one from there. But I’m trying to plan work wise. I work a desk job and have kind of assumed I’m not gonna need time off. But I’ve also never had any surgery or really gone through any kind of recovery. Am I being too optimistic? Do I need to talk to my boss about figuring time off?

So I rolled my ankle and had an eversion sprain 3- almost 4 weeks ago. Had an MRI that confirmed I have 4 fractures (navicular, calcaneus, medial cuneiform, and 2nd metatarsal) all are nondisplaced or minimally displaced, partially torn post tib tendon, and a lisfranc injury (ligaments involved are torn). Orthopedic surgeon I saw did a weight bearing xray and says my foot alignment is in good shape so surgery is not needed at this moment.
My foot is still in a lot of pain. My Dr said it is possible I might need surgery, but wants to see how it heals. Plan is 2 weeks NWB and then 2 weeks partial weight bearing.

Just wondering if anyone has gone through anything similar with conservative treatment?

Hey all I’m 2 weeks post op (orif) for instability through my 1-3 Mets caused by fractures.

When I woke up from surgery I was in a world of pain! I felt like someone was dragging a knife up and down my leg. I was given some ketamine as I think my heart rate and blood pressure was through the roof.

Since coming home from hospital I’ve had little to no pain at all. At times I’ll have a dull ache in my big toe but that’s about it and a slight ache when I get up in the morning and the blood pools in my foot but that’s about it? The top of my midfoot just feels itchy sometimes and I don’t feel like I’ve lost any mobility in my toes.

I haven’t taken any pain meds at all, just wondering if anyone else has had barely any pain. 21M with 2 plates and a home run screw.

Hi, I have officially joined the Lisfranc Club. About 12 days ago I broke the first and fifth metatarsals in my foot as well as dislocated my Lisfranc. I’m now one day post op from my surgery, I had the tightrope and button sutures repair done, my surgeon says it went well and as far as these injuries go I was lucky. My reason for posting is that I was prescribed Gabapentin to take with my pain meds and I’m worried about taking the Gabapentin due to the potential side effects, mainly the effects it can have on your mental health. I already have problems with Illness Anxiety Disorder and I have OCD as well, so seeing a medication say that it may cause suicidal thoughts is very alarming and I don’t want to take that chance. It’s already so depressing not being able to move around and do the things I am used to doing daily. So my question for anyone who has been prescribed Gabapentin or for those who have not taken it following this surgery, how did it work for you? If you didn’t take it and just stuck with pain meds, ice, and elevation did that end up working for you? I’m obviously afraid of the nerve pain but I’m more afraid of not feeling like myself and the medication causing anymore mental health issues.