Plantar plate complex of great toe

In contradistinction to the lesser metatarsophalangeal joints, a single dominant fibrocartilaginous capsular thickening (plantar plates) does not exist at the first MTPJ. Instead, the fibrocartilaginous pad at the plantar first MTPJ invests the sesamoids and is inseparable from the plantar capsule, intersesamoid ligament (ISL), paired metatarsosesamoid ligaments (MTSLs) and sesamoid phalangeal ligaments (SPLs), and musculo- tendinous structures. Together, these form a functional unit, which we refer to as the plantar plate complex