Hallux Rigidus

Hallux rigidus means different things to different people. Hallux rigidus should mean that the hallux joint (the first metatarsophalangeal joint) is rigid, hence the ‘rigidus’. The most common cause of hallux rigidus is osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, so some people use the term hallux rigidus to mean osteoarthritis of that joint. When reading the literature on hallux rigidus, you need to be careful as to exactly what is being discussed. The main consequence of hallux rigidus is that the joint is a very important pivot that the body needs to move forward over, so when the joint is rigid their body looses that pivot. During gait, moving forward is going to be harder and compensations can occur. These compensations include other joints moving at a time that they should not be moving. This movement can lead to symptoms in other joints. The only real way to treat hallux rigidus is to restore the pivot. This can only be done with a replacement for the joint or a rocker on the outside of the shoe. In some cases of hallux rigidus the joint is surgically fused in a flexed position, so some forward rocking can occur at the joint. There is no cure for hallux rigidus and the treatment is only symptomatic.

Related posts:

1. Functional Hallux Limitus
2. Cluffy Wedge

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