The great toe joint in the foot is a crucial joint for normal function and running or walking. As we are running or walking and the feet are flat on the floor, that big toe joint would need to bend when the heel come up off the surface. If this great toe joint doesn’t bend then running or walking will probably be much more difficult. More energy becomes necessary so running or walking gets very exhausting. When the movement that is not able to take place at the big toe joint still has got to happen, other joints could be required to move a lot more at a time that they’re not meant to be moving. This unnatural movement can become an issue.
There are actually a variety of things that might go wrong with that big toe joint and obstruct this normal function. One of the most prevalent issues is a problem that often will get called hallux rigidus and as its name indicates, the hallux joint is rigid and will not move. The most frequent reason for this is osteoarthritis of that great toe joint. This is often quite painful and the inflexible hallux joint tends to make walking or running very hard. The most frequent treating of hallux rigidus are drugs for pain relief, rocker sole footwear to allow for some motion to happen and surgical procedures on the great toe joint.
A less painful form of hallux rigidus can be a condition called hallux limitus in which the joint is not stiff but has a diminished range of motion. Since a full range of motion is needed at the big toe or hallux joint for normal gait, this restricted motion continues to be a problem. The commonest reason for this problem is osteoarthritis. Usually the management of hallux limitus is pain relief with medicine, in some cases strapping can be used to restrict motion even more so that it’s not so painful. Foot supports are now and again used to encourage a more normal movement with the hallux joint. With the most painful situations surgery can be an option in which a joint replacements may be undertaken or the big toe joint is operatively fused to prevent it moving.
Another very common condition is what is known as functional hallux limitus. This is what’s called functional since during a non-weightbearing examination the joint has got a normal range of flexibility, however when functioning with the feet on the floor it just doesn’t have a full range of motion. The actual cause of a functional hallux limitus is not really identified and the rationale why that big toe or hallux joint doesn’t work during weightbearing is just not clear. This simply appears to occurs in some people. A number of hypotheses have already been proposed, many of which seem credible but there is no direct research for one concept above the another theory.
There are a variety of treatment solutions for a functional hallux limitus which are directed at restoring normal function in the hallux joint. Podiatric doctors commonly use foot orthoses with different modifications for example a first ray cut out, some sort of Kinetic Wedge or a Cluffy Wedge. Most of these orthotic modifications attempt to increase the flexion at the big toe joint to help make the joint function more efficiently and prevent the functional hallux limitus from occurring.
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1 comment
The Kinetic Wedge for Functional Hallux Limitus | Curation of Knowledge
Jul 4, 2022
[…] A different source of biomechanical malfunction is a condition known as functional hallux limitus. This is where you will find there’s normal range of flexion at the big toe joint (hallux) however that range of flexibility is restricted whenever weightbearing while walking, so this is why its referred to as functional. The actual cause of this functional limitation is not also apparent, however it does result in the arch of the feet to drop and alters the biomechanics of the lower limb by compensating for the functional hallux limitus. The way that foot orthoses are widely-used to take care of a functional hallux limitus will be modified to modify the way the big toe joint moves, so that its function is smother and it isn’t going to result in any compensations. A typical addition on the anterior edge of a foot orthotic to handle a functional hallux limitus is what is branded as the Kinetic Wedge. The Kinetic Wedge is a product that was designed to hold the great toe or hallux a bit elevated and also to slightly raise the other lessor toe joints. This form of the Kinetic Wedge has been proven to help the motions with the big toe or hallux joint and care for the functional hallux limitus. […]