Tubercular osteomyelitis of the first metatarsal bone as a cause of forefoot pain

Abstract The reporting of isolated metatarsal tuberculosis in the available literature is sparse, herein we report a case of 26-year-old female who presented with insidious onset pain and swelling in her forefoot. Radiograph showed osteolysis of the first metatarsal. Magnetic resonance imaging showed osseous erosion with marrow oedema. Diagnosis was ascertained by fine needle aspiration cytology of the lesion. The patient received anti-tubercular therapy and showed good clinical outcome. This case is reported because of its rarity of involving isolated metatarsal bone as a cause of forefoot pain.