Pain within the great toe or hallux joint of the foot is commonly due to osteoarthritis. This often is recognized as hallux rigidus. There are many problems of the big toe joint which could cause pain, with gout being an additional widely known one. Sometimes the hallux joint is totally rigid and other times it is not rigid, it just has a lower range of flexibility that is lower than what is considered normal. The most frequent reason behind a hallux rigidus will be osteoarthritis within the great toe joint. This osteoarthritis will happen from a lot of deterioration of the big toe joint from a biomechanical issue with how the big toe joint doesn't move how it really should. One other reason behind the osteo arthritis is a one off (or possibly a few) trauma to the great toe joint that does certain destruction of the great toe joint and trigger the arthritis to develop. Generally, the pain sensation from this begins as a modest discomfort, sometimes with an occasional sharp pain. As time passes, it progressively gets worse and might become quite painful. It will likewise impact the way in which you walk.
The treatments of hallux rigidus usually are somewhat reduced as there is no cure for osteoarthritis. The first technique is handling of the pain sensation which may involve injection therapy in to the joint along with the using of pain medicines. This can be going to probably work well for the short term however it is not likely to heal the condition. Footwear that are a lot more rigid or have a rocker beneath them are helpful at restricting the motion in this big toe or hallux joint, however provide for near to normal walking. You can also get a graphite insole that can be placed in the footwear to make them stiff to ensure that any time walking that great toe or hallux joint doesn't move much. Foot supports can also be often utilized and can frequently have a rocker or another design function which ends underneath the big toe or hallux joint to also help restrict motion with the joint. In addition there are other types of pads you can use and strapping with the big toe or hallux joint which will also be employed to limit motion in the joint.
Surgical procedures are an alternative choice which can be thought about with regard to hallux rigidus. There are lots of distinct techniques that a surgeon can take. One is to just fuse the joint. This tends to unquestionably prevent the pain and often will affect the method you walk around to some extent. It's still a good option. Another surgical method is usually to remove a bit of bone from round the big toe joint to allow it to move a bit more freely. The next operative approach is to substitute the hallux joint using an artificial joint or put a spacer in the hallux joint so the arthritis on the joint areas is taken away and the two joints surfaces move on this spacer. A choice of which of the options is a thing that the operating doctor is going to have to make the decision based on how much deterioration may be done to the hallux joint and how worthwhile the bone across the hallux joint is and exactly how deep the osteoarthritis goes.