Cheilectomy, the excision of an irregular osseous rim that interferes
with motion of a joint, was performed on the distal part of the first
metatarsal of twenty-five patients who had hallux rigidus. Relief of pain
was achieved in all but three patients, whose cases were considered as
failures. Joint motion improved by an average of 20 degrees, and it was in
an acceptable range in twenty-three patients. There were no complications
other than persistence of swelling in six patients. No patient required
additional operative intervention during an average follow-up of fifty-six
months. We concluded that cheilectomy is a better method of treatment for
hallux rigidus than arthrodesis, resection arthroplasty, or arthroplasty
with the use of a flexible implant.