Objective: To determine the degree and location of degenerative changes of the medial collateral ligament of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, using the lateral collateral ligament as a control, in patients undergoing hallux valgus correction.
Materials and methods: A strip of medial and lateral collateral ligaments were biopsied from 12 consecutive patients (age 45 ± 4.8 years) with symptomatic hallux valgus. A blinded analysis of histopathology was performed by an experienced pathologist.
Results: The medial collateral ligament was significantly more degenerated compared to the lateral collateral ligament (x(2) = 23.41, DF = 2, p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in degeneration between different parts of each ligament.
Conclusion: Our study found generalized severe degeneration in the medial collateral ligament without proximal-distal predilection. This information may have implications in the management of medial soft tissue repair in hallux valgus correction. The Authors received no financial support for this study.
Keywords: Hallux Valgus; collateral ligament; degeneration.