Freiberg's disease.

Abstract

Freiberg’s disease is a relatively uncommon disorder of the metatarsal head. Although trauma and circulatory disturbances likely contribute major roles in its development, it is widely accepted that Freiberg’s etiology is multifactorial. Conservative treatment, focused on offloading and relieving stress, is uniformly accepted as the appropriate initial management. Surgical management can broadly be categorized as procedures which attempt to correct the pathophysiology and halt its progression, and procedures which address the sequelae of later stage disease. Newer strategies, including osteochondral transplantation, attempt to restore the damage metatarsal cartilage with a viable osteochondral plug.