Metatarsal Head Resurfacing versus Total Joint Arthroplasty in the Treatment of Hallux Rigidus

Currently, there are many alternatives for the treatment of hallux rigidus, which is arthrosis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. Our aim in this study is to compare the effectiveness of metatarsal head resurfacing and total joint arthroplasty in the treatment of hallux rigidus. We retrospectively compared the patients in Group 1 (n:21) who underwent resurfacing and the patients in Group 2 (n:23) who underwent total joint arthroplasty. The mean length of follow-up and mean age of the patients included in the study was 41.2±3.7 and 54.3±7.8, respectively. American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society’s (AOFAS) hallux metatarsophalangeal-interphalangeal, and visual analog scale (VAS) scores were used to compare the functional status of the patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the demographic characteristics of the patients in both groups (p>0.05). Comparison of the functional scores obtained during patient follow-up revealed that AOFAS functional results of the patients in Group 2 were statistically significantly better at postoperative months 24 and 36 (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the change in VAS scores with respect to time (p>0.05). The use of resurfacing and total joint arthroplasty, which enable joint motion, in the treatment of hallux rigidus leads to successful outcomes in the mid-term.