Eighty operations on the fifth toe in 59 patients were retrospectively reviewed to determine the effect of skeletal variation on the occurrence of pathological conditions requiring surgery. The two-boned fifth toe occurred in 60% of the operated group. This is statistically significant (P < .05) as compared with 45% in our prospective control group. Our results support the theory that the stiffer two-boned fifth toe predisposes it to increased pathology, which includes hammertoes, interdigital and dorsal corns, and clawtoes.
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