Discomfort inside the great toe joint of the foot is often because of osteoarthritis. This frequently is called hallux rigidus. There are lots of conditions of the great toe or hallux joint which might cause pain, with gout being one more widely known disorder. Sometimes the hallux joint is completely rigid as well as other times it's not necessarily rigid, it simply has a decreased range of flexion that's less than the normal. The commonest cause for a hallux rigidus will be osteoarthritis in the great toe joint. The osteoarthritis comes as a result of years of wear and tear on in the joint due to a alignment problem with the way the great toe joint will not move the way it really should. And the second reason for the osteoarthritis may be a one-time (or perhaps a few) injury to the big toe joint that does certain injury to the hallux joint and trigger the osteoarthritis to start. Usually, the symptoms from this starts as a slight ache, from time to time having an occasional sharp pain from the joint. As time passes, it gradually worsens and can become very painful. It will also modify the way in which people walk.
The treatments for hallux rigidus are usually relatively limited as there is no solution for osteo arthritis. The first method is treatments for the pain and this may include injection therapy in to the big toe joint as well as the using of pain prescription drugs. This can be going to probably work efficiently for the short term however it is not likely to cure the problem. Footwear for hallux rigidus should be much more inflexible or have a rocker beneath the shoe are very helpful at limiting the movement in this great toe joint, however provide for close to regular walking. You can also get a carbon fibre plate that could be placed in the shoes to make them rigid to make sure that whenever walking the great toe or hallux joint does not move. Foot supports may also be sometimes utilized and will frequently have a rocker or other design function that ends under the great toe or hallux joint to also help minimize motion at the joint. Additionally, there are some other type of pads that can be used and taping on the great toe or hallux joint which could also be used to restrict motion in the joint.
Surgical treatment is an alternative choice which may be thought about for hallux rigidus. There are numerous unique approaches that your surgeon might take. One is to only stiffen the hallux joint. This will likely unquestionably prevent the pain and often will impact the means you walk about to some degree. It is still a good option. Another operative technique will be to get rid of a bit of bone from round the joint to allow the joint to move much more readily. The next operative approach is to upgrade the big toe joint using an artificial joint or place a spacer inside the hallux joint and so the osteo-arthritis about the joints surfaces is removed and the two joints areas go forward on that spacer. The choice of which of these alternatives is something that the operating doctor will have to make a decision depending on how much injury was done to the hallux joint and exactly how viable the bone throughout the hallux joint is and exactly how deep the osteoarthritis goes.