Conservative treatment of Freiberg's infraction using foot orthoses: A tale of two prescriptions presented as a case study to open debate.

'Freiberg's infraction or disease' is an osteonecrotic process primarily affecting the 2nd & 3rd metatarsal heads. Early diagnosis is difficult, and the underlying pathogenesis remains unclear. Surgical options for late disease have been widely reported in the literature, yet details on conservative management for the early stages of Freiberg's are largely absent. Pathology should be treated where possible using an evidence-based approach, yet evidence for conservative management in acute stages of Freiberg's is lacking. A case study is presented that outlines two different prescription interventions using foot orthoses; one that attempted to 'offload' the metatarsal head by creating space beneath it; and one that attempted to 'offloaded' by increasing controlled loading of the metatarsals proximal to the head. These resulted in very different outcomes for the patient. The authors will attempt to give a 'pathomechanical rationale' for the treatment outcomes based on mechanical stress principles, and a consequential explanation as to why one type of insole prescription seemed more successful in reducing symptoms and raising activity levels, while another was not.