Arthroscopy of the Great Toe!

Yes, the great toe is an incredible mechanism. Believe it or not, if you are a chronic toe-stubber, there is relief. The arthroscope may be used to repair damaged articular cartilage on the surface of the great toe. Here is what the setup looks like in the operating room. The toe is held in place, and to the left you can see the arthroscope inserted into the great toe joint, and on the right is a shaving instrument.

Here is the view from the arthroscope. This toe bone actually looks like it is in pretty good shape -- it's nice and smooth and shiny with no pock marks or loose bodies in there.