What is a Lisfranc Fracture?
Apr 29th, 2009 | By Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq. | Category: Blogs, Common Injuries from Car AccidentsIn our personal injury law practice at Saile & Saile LLP, we have patients who have fractured their feet due to trips, slips, and/or fall-downs. A common broken bone or fracture involving the foot is called a Lisfranc fracture. The name “Lisfranc” comes from the name of a French field surgeon who amputated soldiers’ feet after a debilitating foot injury.
The Lisfranc joint is comprised of a section of bones in the mid-foot. Lisfranc injuries are usually caused from falls, twists of the foot, sports related injuries, and car accidents.
A Lisfranc fracture is a broken bone or separation of the bones in the mid-foot. Lisfranc fractures are often times hard to initially diagnose due to the many bones in the foot. X-rays may have to be taken multiple times to find the broken bone. Other times, CT scans (computer tomography) or MRI scans (magnetic resonance image) are needed to locate the bone fracture.
Lisfranc fractures are painful and begin with swelling of the mid-foot. For the less severe Lisfranc injuries, some orthopedic doctors will immobilize the foot by casting and recommend no weight bearing for about six weeks.
For severe Lisfranc fracture injuries, surgery is necessary to stabilize the foot’s bone structure. Pins, screws, and wires are often used by orthopedic surgeons. After a Lisfranc surgery a patient will have to wear some sort of cast and keep off his or her feet for a substantial period of time. Rehabilitation will then be necessary to get the patient back on his or her feet.
There are serious complications and risks involved with Lisfranc fracture injuries and surgery such as: arthritis, risk of infection, risk of the foot nerves being severed, ligament and tendon injuries, arthosis, and complications with the hardware that was inserted during the Liscfranc foot surgery.
Many times patients must undergo a second foot surgery to remove the pins, screws and/or wires (hardware) that were inserted during the initial surgery by the orthopedic surgeon.
Due to the long-term nature of arthritis of the foot, many patients suffer from the complications of a Lisfranc injury for the rest of their lives.
i know for my moms injurys, the screws and plate in her right ankle will not be romoved. her foot is completely deformed as well, we had to cut a hole in the sneaker to get it on. the right foot has severe nerve damage, im thinking from the fire they were in , in the car. you know the other injurys, both legs crushed, ….both femurs surgically repaird, femure plates, and right femur plate connected replacement knee, one knewe surgically repaired, one knee replaced, both tibulas and fibulas in both legs surgically repaired with plates, and right hand has playe and right wqrist has plate and screws, ……. my mom almost didnt make it, they medivaced her in a helicopter twice after the accident, first to salsbury, then to u of maryland in baltimore, cause sdalsbury woulda amputated both legs, …. the trayuma center in baltimore saved the legs, ….. its been almost 9 months, my mom still cant stanbd or walk, …. i take care of her for everything , meals, shopping, fresh clothes to wear, on and off the whell chair, dumping the comode doings 7 times a day, …. you name it, this, that, total whim of what she wants or needs, ….. 24/7, …..her life was destroyed by this accident, ….. and it wasnt her fault, ….