Tarsometatarsal Injury

Abstract

A patient presented at a sports injury clinic with pain, swelling and bruising over the medial longitudinal arch. The diagnosis was found to be a tarsometatarsal injury. Tarsometatarsal fractures account for 0.2% of all fractures.1 Accurate diagnosis of injuries of this type may be difficult,2 and, although obvious injury will be detectable by radiographs, subtle subluxations may go undetected.3 While the radiographic criteria for diagnosis have been detailed in many studies,3-5 the clinical diagnosis of this type of injury has received little attention.3 This illustrative case demonstrates the clinical findings evident to the podiatrist upon examination of the foot, which may aid in the diagnosis of the more subtle presentation of this type of injury.