Understanding Chet Holmgren’s Lisfranc Injury
- Post By: Jeff Stotts
- Date:
- Category: NBA, Understanding...
The Thunder will have to wait until the 2023-24 season to unleash Chet Holmgren on the league. The second overall pick suffered a significant foot injury over the weekend while participating in a Pro-Am game with other NBA players including LeBron James, Aaron Gordon, and Jayson Tatum.
Holmgren’s injury is being described as a Lisfranc injury, a specific location in the midfoot. The midfoot is comprised of five tarsometatarsal joints that are formed where the metatarsal bones of the foot articulate with the tarsal bones, specifically the cuboid and the three cuneiforms. The keystone of these five articulations is the second joint that is fortified at its base by a strong ligament known as Lisfranc’s ligament. Like any other ligament, the Lisfranc’s ligament can be sprained and in some extreme cases dislocate or avulse a small piece of bone creating a fracture.
The Lisfranc injury derives its name from the French surgeon Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin who performed an amputation on the area for a soldier suffering from gangrene during the Napoleonic Wars. Fortunately for OKC fans modern medicine has moved past this archaic approach and an injury here is now treated with immobilization or surgery. Thunder GM Sam Presti confirmedHolmgren’s injury was not a fracture but will require surgery.
Lisfranc injuries are relatively uncommon in the NBA though Miami’s Udonis Haslem did sustain the injury during the 2010-11 season. He underwent surgery to address the ligament tear and missed 69 regular season games and eight playoff games. In all Haslem was sidelined for 170 days. However, his return to the court was complicated by the development of a pulmonary embolism that required a hospital stint.
Lisfranc injuries are more common in the NFL with notable players like Ben Roethlisberger, Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Matt Schaub all enduring the injury on recent seasons. Recently, Carolina quarterback Matt Corral was lost for the season after sustaining the injury in a preseason contest.A study examining the injuryin NFL players found the average return to play with 11.1 months.
The Thunder have already ruled Holmgren out for the year, a wise approach that will allow the prospect to focus on the complex rehab and not feel pressured to rush back. As a result, Holmgren joins a long list of top picks to miss their rookie season recovering from injury. Blake Griffin (knee), Ben Simmons (foot), Michael Porter Jr (back), and Joel Embiid (foot) all missed their initial season in the league recovering from injury.
