If symptoms persist or recur despite conservative therapy, surgery based on the cause of metatarsalgia should be considered.
An increasingly less used procedure in this regard is osteotomy (“Weil osteotomy”/separation of bone; subcapital shortening osteotomy). This involves raising or shortening one or more heads of the ossa metatarsalia (metatarsal bones) (position correction) in order to achieve a more favorable load distribution of the foot. Note: The procedure is sometimes associated with complications that are difficult to control.
Percutaneous (minimally invasive) surgical procedures are increasingly used. The corrective results are good, i.e. wound healing complications rarely occur – scar contractures (pronounced tissue shrinkage (contracture) resulting from scarring) are also absent.
Aftercare
- In most cases, the affected person can walk in a special shoe immediately after surgery. This shoe should be worn for about four weeks.
In case of metatarsal arthrosis, arthrodesis (stiffening) should be considered.
