My First Impressions On My Lisfranc Injury & Some Research About It:

I started this year off with a royal bang when I suffered what they call a Lisfranc injury. I am in my late 20s and was previously a two sport college athlete. I now am a nurse who had been working the floor until recently. I decided to do a little research on the matter as it seems there is nothing out there. Or at the very least, all of the information contradicts itself. I wanted to get to the bottom of it all. So I have a few articles where I have inserted journal research articles.

Here is some background information on the Lisfranc joint. This joint is located between the midfoot and forefoot. The Lisfranc joint is typically a very stable joint due to its bony anatomy and strong ligamentous attachments. There are muscle attachments as well that provide indirect stabilization. A Lisfranc injury is almost always caused by either direct causes or indirect causes. Direct or high energy injuries are due to traumas that crush the Lisfranc joint such as a car crash while indirect causes or low energy injuries are more common. These would be like slips, falls and sports injuries. Anything that could cause the midfoot to twist too far out of position would be detrimental (heel twisting while pressure on the toes). Mascio, Greco, Maccauro, & Perisano mentions that a low energy injury would be bending and torsion of the tarsus (2022). In either case, enough force is placed on the midfoot and joint that can cause a fracture, a ligament tear, or displacement of a bone in the foot. Because the Lisfranc joint is located in the midfoot, there are a multitude of other bones surrounding this area which makes it hard to diagnose.

Lisfranc’s are rare with them accounting for 0.2% of all fractures; however, 20% of Lisfranc injuries are misdiagnosed or diagnosed late (Mascio, Greco, Maccauro, & Perisano, 2022). A delay in diagnosis has been shown to have a negative impact on outcome and if it is not treated properly, a Lisfranc injury can lead to some serious complications such as arthritis, chronic pain, vascular compromise and collapsed arches. Considering this joint takes forces up to 2-3x your body weight, I don’t want to mess around with this (oops….too late! Haha). But my thoughts are that it needs to be fixed right. I am young and I would like to continue some of the activities I have done in the past.

References

Mascio, A., Greco, T., Maccauro, G., & Perisano, C. (2022). Lisfranc complex injuries management and treatment: current knowledge. International Journal of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology, 161-170.