Background Metatarsalgia of the lesser toes is a common cause of consultation in the podiatric clinic. However, there continues to be a controversy with respect to which is the best surgical technique, and there is few information in the literature regarding objectively comparable results in percutaneous surgery. Methods The second metatarsal bones of 30 feet belonging to patients who had attended the podiatric clinic were studied before and after distal metatarsal pecutaneous osteotomy. The degree of shortening of the second metatarsal (RX) and the degree of functional recovery and perception of the well-being of the patient (AOFAS) were evaluated retrospectively. The same bones of 10 cadaveric feet were also studied. The surgical procedure was identical to that used on patients, and electronic callipers were employed to take measurements of the second metatarsal. The integrity of the plantar plate was checked visually. Results The mean shortening of the second metatarsal bone, as determined by the radiological study, was 2.76 mm. After an average follow-up period of 1.5 years, the final mean score on the AOFAS scale was 95.26 points. In none of the cases was the mobility of the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint affected. The mean shortening in the cadaveric feet was 2.10 mm, and in all cases, the plantar plate and flexor apparatus were perfectly preserved. Conclusions Percutaneous osteotomy achieved, in our study, a lower degree of shortening than Weil’s surgery, according to the data published in the literature. However, it shows good clinical results without causing problems of consolidation or rigidity in the MTP joint. Neither, with the caution that should be taken due to the use of experimental cadaver models, damage of the flexor apparatus of the foot is observed. These results suggest that this could be a safe and effective surgical procedure to be considered for metatarsalgias of the lesser rays.

Background and aims: Surgical procedures for central metatarsalgia seek to harmonise the metatarsal parabola with osteotomies that can be performed by minimally invasive techniques. However, the possible relationship of the foot type and the mid-term postoperative outcome is poorly described. The objective of this prospective pilot study was therefore to determine whether the foot type (pronate, neutral, or supinate) conditions the postoperative mid-term functional outcome.Methods: A series of 28 patients (6 men, 22 women) were treated for primary central metatarsalgia by means of minimally invasive distal metaphyseal osteotomy (DMMO).Results: Their functional outcomes at 6 and 12 months were assessed by the self-reporting AOFAS scale. Pre-surgery, the patients' scores were 42.82 ± 15.60. Scores improved at 6 months to 86.50 ± 8.6 and to 92.93 ± 8.6 at 12 months (p < 0.001 in both cases). There were no differences either by sex or by foot type in these overall values, although there was only a slight limitation of interphalangeal mobility in the supinated feet (p = 0.03) at 6-month follow-up as compared to other foot types.Conclusion: Hence, DMMO provides an optimal clinical and functional outcome for the surgical treatment of metatarsalgia, regardless of the patient's foot posture. The occurrence of adverse events was minimal and clinically irrelevant.Trial registration: The study was authorised by the Research Ethics Committee of the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, with the registry UCV/2018-2019/019.