![]() ![]() The tape, called the Arthrex Internal Brace) would become a permanent part of the joint. Instead of inserting a screw, she’d drill a hole through the joint and thread it with collagen-coated FiberTape. Having recently completed a foot and ankle fellowship, she’d learned a relatively new method of repairing the Lisfranc fracture. An orthopedic surgeon, she agreed with the original diagnosis, but suggested a different surgery. Some friends work in medicine, and when they heard about my pending surgery referred me to another foot specialist for a second opinion. I’d go under the knife that Thursday, two days later.īut that’s where life threw me a curve ball. It took a day of reading and fingernail chewing, but I called and scheduled the surgery. This thing had the potential to change my life. I thought about less intense activities that might also be impacted: walking downtown for dinner, walking the dog, jumping across the street with my nephews, wearing flip-flops. I pondered the array of strenuous activities that make me happy: skiing, mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, HIT classes. Recovery involves anywhere from six to 12 weeks of zero weight-bearing activity on the affected foot, and another one to four months walking in an orthopedic walking boot.Įven then, patients wore carbon footbeds and reported pain and complications for years. It can cause debilitating osteoarthritis years after its been fixed. It almost always ends the careers of professional athletes. I read with mounting consternation how serious the injury can be. It’s named for a French military surgeon, Jacques Lisfranc, who identified the joint after a soldier fell off his horse with his foot stuck in a stirrup. The more I read, the more frightened I became.Īccording to a July 1998 article in American Family Physician, Lisfranc fractures account for fewer than 1 percent of all fractures and are frequently misdiagnosed. That night I dug into the world-wide web and started learning about this relatively rare and fairly serious injury. I stood up and limped out of his office, determined to heal on my own. In my mind surgeries lead to more surgeries, and I didn’t want to start down that slippery slope. My intuition was to avoid surgery at all costs. In his way, he gently urged me to enlist for surgery as soon as possible, but all I heard was that I didn’t have to. ![]()
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