Subtle Injuries That Can Be Devastating

I had a patient on Monday that had the most severe arthritis that I have seen in a very long time. She told me that 18 years ago, she injured her foot in a step class and that the doctor at the time suspected a stress fracture but never found it on x-ray.

This woman had an injury to the middle of her foot that is very often missed by general doctors, emergency room doctors and even radiologists. It is a disruption of what is called the Lisfranc's Joint. It involves many joints across the middle of the foot and if it goes untreated when it first occurs can cause severe arthritis years later.

It is VERY important to see a podiatric physician anytime you have a foot injury or foot pain. Looking at this woman's current x-rays not only showed the arthritis but clearly indicated that this subtle injury had occurred. A podiatric physician would have been able to detect the problem at the time of injury. This woman is now left with severe pain, limited activities and a total change in life style.