Why You Should Never Neglect a Lisfranc Injury

Your feet are complicated pieces of mechanical equipment. Each foot comprises 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments, all working together.

With that many components, things do break down occasionally. If you experience pain or notice something abnormal, here’s what you shouldn’t do: avoid the doctor. Depending on the injury, you could permanently damage your foot, especially if you’re dealing with a Lisfranc injury.

Here at Austin Foot & Ankle Institute, one of our specialties is treating Lisfranc injuries. Read on to find out more about why you should never neglect to get yours treated.

What’s a Lisfranc injury?

A Lisfranc injury is an injury to your midfoot area, where the tarsal bones in the back of your foot join the metatarsal bones in the middle and front of your foot. This joint keeps the height and shape of your foot intact.

When this area is twisted in an upward or downward direction, a Lisfranc injury often results. That frequently happens as a result of playing sports or taking a fall.

Three injuries can occur:

• Ligament sprain or rupture in the midfoot, resulting in instability and a fallen arch
• Fracture, when a chip breaks off the bone (an avulsion) or a metatarsal breaks
• Dislocation, when the bones are forced from their normal position and can’t move back

What can happen if you ignore a Lisfranc injury?

Usual symptoms of a Lisfranc injury include midfoot pain that worsens when you stand or walk, difficulty bearing weight, swelling on top of the foot, and numbness and tingling in the midfoot.

If you ignore these symptoms and don’t see a doctor, potential problems include:

• Compartment syndrome, when pressure builds in the foot; requires emergency surgery
• Post-traumatic arthritis, which brings osteoarthritis (and lifelong pain) sooner than normal
• Fallen arch, requiring major surgery
• A delay in your return to daily activities and sports
• Increased likelihood of surgery

How are Lisfranc injuries treated?

The idea behind Lisfranc treatment is to start as conservatively as possible. If your injury is minor (no breaks or complete tears), you wear a boot for 6-8 weeks to immobilize your foot and reduce stress on the joint as it heals.

If X-rays show healing after this time, you begin bearing weight and doing physical therapy.

More serious injuries likely require surgery, during which we may insert pins, plates, and screws into your foot to hold the bones and soft tissue together as they heal. After surgery, you wear a boot for several months and then begin physical therapy.

If you think you may have a Lisfranc injury, get checked by a professional as soon as possible. Our experts at Austin Foot & Ankle Institute are happy to help. Call one of our offices in Austin or Cedar Park, Texas, today to book your appointment.