why did a lisfranc injury sideline chet holmgren of oklahoma city thunder and b.c. lions quarterback nathan rourke?
the lisfranc joint is the area at the top of the foot where the metatarsal bones connects to the area closer to the heel from the toes. injuring it is rather unusual.
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chet holmgren (34 - pictured playing centre for gonzaga bulldogs), who is now dealing with a lisfranc injury, plays for the ball against pepperdine waves forward jan zidek (31) during the second half at firestone fieldhouse on feb 16.
gary a. vasquez
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usa today sports
chet holmgren, the second overall draft pick by the oklahoma city thunder, is already out for his would-be-rookie season with a lisfranc injury.
a lisfranc injury is when the bones or ligaments in the middle of the foot are hurt, and symptoms can range from bruising to deformity.
during a pro-am game, holmgren — a 7’1 195lb power forward — was guarding four time nba champion lebron james, who stands at 6,9 and 250lbs. holmgren jumped to block james’ shot, and started hopping on one foot as soon as he landed.
conditions on the court in the seattle arena were less than ideal, with high humidity and a packed house leading to wet spots on the court. sam presti, thunder general manager, told espn that the court conditions were not a factor in holmgren’s injury. the game was cancelled in the second quarter due to the conditions.
chet holmgren, oklahoma city thunder, expected to miss upcoming season
despite surgery earlier this week, holmgren is still expected to miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season.
“we just have to focus on what we can control, and i think that we have a group of guys that will continually get better for quite a long time,” presti said. “but we’re still scaling the mountain in the western conference, and we have to see where that goes. we come into every season the same way since 2008, which is we have to wait to see how the season unfolds.”
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lisfranc injuries are more common in contact sports, with a few notable injuries happening recently in both the cfl and nfl.
b.c. lions quarterback nathan rourke suffered a similar injury in week 11 of the cfl season in a 28-10 victory over the saskatchewan roughriders. and pittsburgh steelers running back najee harris suffered a lisfranc injury in training camp, though he is expected to recover for the start of the season.
what is a lisfranc injury?
the lisfranc joint is the area at the top of the foot where the metatarsal bones connects to the area closer to the heel from the toes. injury to this area of the foot often occurs when the foot twists while in a downward position.
the middle of the foot is not a solid piece, it’s a cluster of bones, according to johns hopkins. five bones in the middle, called the metatarsals, extend from the toes and form the arch at the top of the foot with other smaller bones and cartilage. as there are so many bones, there is also a lot of tissue. the bones, cartilage and surrounding muscles can be strained, torn, fractured, or broken, each of which count as a lisfranc injury.
the injury got its name from french surgeon jacques lisfranc de st. martin, who studied in paris in the 1800s.
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how is a lisfranc injury fixed?
a lisfranc injury, like the one sustained by holmgren, is difficult to treat since there are so many types of injury.
more standard pulls or strains can be treated with pain medications and keeping weight off the affected foot. but more severe injuries such as sprains, breaks, or fractures could require surgery.
during surgery, the bones in the foot are put back into their correct orientation. then, using metal plates and screws, the pieces of the bones are reattached to one another. it’s possible that the metal added to the body will remain there indefinitely, though the doctor may also opt to remove it once healed.
chris arnold is a toronto-based writer.
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