Lisfranc injuries are high speed injuries which can result in serious deformity of the midfoot joints, commonly due to dislocations and/or fractures. Automobile or motorcycle accidents, violent falls onto the foot or a severe, crushing injury to the foot, are several of the most common circumstances which can lead to Lisfranc injuries. In sport settings, this form of foot injury is less severe, often resulting from a crushing and/or twisting means to the planted weight-bearing foot. But, when it does occur, Lisfranc injuries can cause overwhelming consequences for the athlete.

Approximately 16 percent of all sports injuries involve the foot. Although foot complications in athletes are reasonably common, Lisfranc injuries are quite rare. Researchers found that Lisfranc injuries account for up to 4 percent of all college level football injuries. Severe forms of the complication can unfortunately not only be season-ending but career-ending as well for the athlete.

Per researchers, this type of foot injury is more frequent in sports such as football, with an increased percentage of Lisfranc injuries occurring in offensive linemen, followed by rugby, as these types of sports usually involve high levels of contact through the foot. The injury has also been reported to occur in baseball, gymnastics, horse riding, windsurfing, rodeo riding and skydiving.

The skeletal structure of the foot is intricately supported by ligaments as well as the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles which extend through the plantar arch and dorsum of the foot. The Lisfranc complex is a term utilized to describe the articulation between the midfoot and forefoot. It includes the joints surrounding the proximal row of cuneiforms and cuboid along with the distal row of metatarsal heads. Injury to this area of articulations can develop in various ways.