Foot injury from flag football may require surgery to heal

Q. I was playing flag football and someone stepped on my foot. The foot twisted outwards and I felt a pop. I could hardly bear weight and I went to urgent care. X-rays were negative for a fracture. I was told I had a bad mid-foot sprain and was given a boot and crutches.

An orthopedic surgeon evaluated my injury and determined that it was a Lisfranc injury that requires surgery. What is this injury, is it really bad enough to require surgery, what is the procedure and how long am I out of sports?

A: The joint in the mid foot is made up of three bones: the first metatarsal, the second metatarsal and the first cuniaform is the Lisfranc’s joint. This joint is the major stabilizer of the arch. If it remains unstable after an injury, it can result in chronic pain and collapse of the arch.

Routine X-rays may not reveal the severity of the injury and special X-ray views such as standing films, stress views, an MRI or a CT scan may be necessary to delineate the injury. If the joint is unstable, it usually requires surgery to stabilize.

Recovery can be at least six months. If you are unsure of the injury severity and options you may want to get a second opinion from a foot specialist with sports medicine experience.

Dr. Harlan Selesnick is team physician of the Miami Heat and director of Miami Sports Medicine Fellowship, Doctors Hospital. Send your questions to HarlanS@baptisthealth.net