Who is Lisfranc? What is a Lisfranc injury?

An uncommon, but often misdiagnosed injury, is the Lisfranc fracture/dislocation. The Lisfranc joint, or tarsometatarsal articulation in the middle of the foot, is where the three cuneiform bones articulate with the first three metatarsals. This joint is named for Jacques Lisfranc, who was a general in Napoleon's army and performed an amputation through this joint of a soldier who fell, caught his foot in the stirrup, and developed gangreen. Lisfranc fractures account for fewer than 1% of all diagnosed fractures. It is often missed on the initial x-ray. In the everyday setting, this injury may result from a high energy car wreck or from falling from high places. In the sport of football, there have been a few prominent NFL players that have suffered this injury, including Dwight Freeny, Warrick Dunn, and this past Sunday, Ronnie Brown. If you watch the video of Brown's injury (link below), you will see that he planted his right foot, and then another player landed on his leg from behing, causing the injury. If a fracture occurs, surgery will most likely be performed, using screw fixation to repair the fracture. The rehabilitation from this injury is often lengthy, and may take up to a year.

Ronnie Brown injury