Weil osteotomy alone versus Weil plus plantar plate repair for floating toe

Plantar Plate Repair for Treatment of Floating Toe: Must we Associate it to Weil Osteotomy?

Not applicable Interventional Fundació Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau · NCT05625282

This project will test whether Weil osteotomy alone works as well as Weil osteotomy combined with plantar plate repair for adults with grade II or III floating toe.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment70 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorFundació Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau Academic / other
Locations1 site (Barcelona)
Trial IDNCT05625282 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This is a prospective non-inferiority comparison of two surgical approaches for adults with grade II or III floating toe. Participants will receive either isolated Weil osteotomy or Weil osteotomy combined with plantar plate repair, with plantar plate injury graded during surgery. Key outcomes include pain, toe function, alignment, and complication or reoperation rates over postoperative follow-up. The protocol excludes patients with plantar plate grades 0, I, or IV and those undergoing secondary surgery.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults (18 years or older) with symptomatic grade II or III floating toe who can understand treatment and recovery and are eligible for primary surgical correction.

Not a fit: Patients with intraoperative plantar plate grades 0, I, or IV, those requiring secondary surgery, or those unable to follow postoperative care are unlikely to benefit from the procedures tested here.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, patients might avoid the added surgical complexity and recovery of plantar plate repair while achieving similar pain relief and toe alignment.

How similar studies have performed: Both Weil osteotomy and plantar plate repair are established procedures for forefoot deformities, but direct non-inferiority comparisons for floating toe are limited.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* 18 years old, minimum
* ability to understand treatment and recovery
* floating toe

Exclusion Criteria:

* age less than 18 years old at the moment of recruiting
* patients who are not able to understand treatment and recovery
* intraoperative diagnosis of plantar plate injury grade 0, I or IV in Nery's classification
* secondary surgery

Where this trial is running

Barcelona

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Floating Toe
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.