In short
The Chopart joint is the junction between the hindfoot and midfoot, made up of the talonavicular joint on the inner side and the calcaneocuboid joint on the outer side. Arthritis here causes deep pain at the front and top of the foot, just below the ankle, worse on uneven ground. Supportive shoes, insoles and image-guided injections help many people. For severe arthritis, fusion of the talonavicular joint, sometimes with the neighbouring joints (a double or triple fusion), gives reliable pain relief.
What is the Chopart joint?
The Chopart (transverse tarsal) joint runs across the foot where the hindfoot meets the midfoot. It has two parts:
- The talonavicular joint, on the inner side, between the talus and the navicular
- The calcaneocuboid joint, on the outer side, between the heel bone and the cuboid
Together they allow the foot to twist and adapt to the ground.
What causes arthritis here?
- Previous injury, including Chopart fracture-dislocations and navicular fractures
- Inflammatory arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis, which commonly affects the talonavicular joint
- A collapsing flat foot from tibialis posterior dysfunction, which overloads the joint
- Wear and tear
- Avascular necrosis (loss of blood supply) of the navicular
What are the symptoms?
- Deep aching pain at the top and front of the foot, just below and in front of the ankle
- Pain on uneven ground, slopes and stairs
- Swelling and stiffness
- A bony lump on top of the foot
- A gradually flattening arch in some people
Treatment without surgery
- Supportive, stiff-soled or rocker-bottom shoes and lace-up boots
- Custom insoles to support the arch and limit painful movement
- Pain relief and activity changes
- Image-guided steroid injection, which also confirms the joint is the source of pain
Surgery
- Talonavicular fusion. The joint is fused with screws, plates or staples. Reliable pain relief, at the cost of side-to-side foot movement.
- Double fusion (talonavicular and subtalar) or triple fusion (with the calcaneocuboid joint too) when the arthritis is more widespread or the foot is deformed.
- Calcaneocuboid fusion or interposition for isolated arthritis on the outer side, in selected cases.
Common questions
Why does the talonavicular joint matter so much?
It is the key joint that lets the foot turn in and out, adapt to uneven ground and become a rigid lever for pushing off. Arthritis here therefore affects walking more than its size suggests, and fusing it also reduces movement in the joints next to it.
What is recovery like after a talonavicular fusion?
Usually around six weeks with no weight on the foot in a cast or boot, then a gradual return to walking in a boot as the X-rays show healing. Most people are back to normal walking by three to six months, with improvement continuing up to a year. Smoking greatly increases the risk of the bones not fusing.
Talk it through with a specialist
Consultations at Spire Liverpool, Salford and the Isle of Man. New patients £250.
Consultant Foot and Ankle Surgeon, MB BCh, PhD, FRCS (Tr&Orth), FRCS (Glasg), SFHEA, FFSTEd. GMC 6074953. Hunterian Professor, Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Page last reviewed 25 October 2026. This information is general and does not replace an assessment.
Prof Mason's published research on this topic
Peer-reviewed papers by Prof Mason and his colleagues. Links open the paper or its PubMed record.
- Metcalf T, Aamir J, Mason L. Chopart dislocation and fracture-dislocation: a systematic review of diagnosis, treatment and outcomes. European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery (accepted for publication).
- Ward T, Mangwani J, Aamir J, Elbannan M, Boksh K, Chapman J, Airey G, Tanaka H, Jeyaseelan L, Mason L. Lateral column injury of the midfoot. Do they all need fixation?. Journal of Orthopaedics, 2025.
- Widnall J, Mason LW, Molloy A. Medial approach to the subtalar joint. Foot and Ankle Clinics, 2018.