Tailor's bunion. Is fixation necessary?

Tailor's bunion or bunionette are terms that describe a pathologic enlargement occurring laterally on the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint. Regardless of the etiology that precipitates the deformity, the resulting abnormal protrusion of soft tissue or bone can result in pain for the patient. Symptoms can range from mild discomfort to severe, debilitating pain. The patient may present with pain dorsolaterally, laterally, or plantarly. The symptoms are mechanically induced, and are often associated with hyperkeratotic lesions and adventitious bursae. Patients complain most often that they cannot find comfortable shoes. The authors compare the effectiveness of fixated versus nonfixated distal osteotomies of the fifth metatarsal for the correction of tailor's bunion. This study shows that fixation can help control postoperative dorsal displacement of the fifth metatarsal capital fragment (p < 0.0001) and produce less shortening of the metatarsal resulting in fewer complications.