Hallux Rigidus

Hallux rigidus is a problem that is synonymous with osteoarthritis of the big toe joint. The hallux is the technical term for the big toe and rigidus obviously means rigid, so this is a condition in which the big toe joint is rigid. The most common cause of this is osteoarthritis. There are two main consequences of this. Firstly the joint is usually painful and secondly, it alter the way you walk as that joint is very important for the foot to pivot over when we are moving forward as in walking or running. If there is not motion at that joint, the body is not as efficient at moving forward and tries to get that motion at joints that are generally not supposed to move at certain times.

Treatment of hallux rigidus is two-fold. Firstly the pain in the joint needs to be controlled and this is done generally by restricting the forces that get placed on the joint. The second approach to treatment of hallux rigidus is to replace that forward pivot. This is usually some sort of rocker on the outside of the shoe.

The latest research on hallux rigidus is at Podiatry Arena and you can ask a question about hallux rigidus at the Foot health Forum.

Croydon Total Footcare have a lot of experience in managing hallux rigidus.