Lisfranc Joint

LISFRANC (Tarsal-Metatarsal) FRACTURE DISLOCATION:

The Lisfranc injury to the forefoot is thought to have originated with Napoleon's surgeon. During that time, if a rider was thrown from his horse and the foot was caught in the stirrups, the rider often suffered a severe fracture of multiple bones in the midfoot region with dislocation of the fragments. The resulting trauma often resulted in an amputation of the forefoot at a specific level called the Lisfranc joint, after the French surgeon who first noticed the pattern of this injury. Fortunately, although the injury is still called a Lisfranc injury, amputations are rarely done for this injury.

ANATOMY:

However, the term Lisfranc injury (or fracture-dislocation) now defines a specific type of injury to the forefoot. To understand the injury it is first necessary to understand the anatomy of the foot. The talus is the bone below the ankle, which allows for the upward and downward motion of the ankle. Beneath the talus is the calcaneus, which is the heel bone. Just in front of the talus (when viewed from the top (dorsal) aspect of the foot, is the navicular bone. Just beyond this bone, towards the toes are the bones that are responsible for the arch configuration of the midfoot.