Pain in the great toe joint in the foot is frequently because of osteoarthritis. This usually is referred to as hallux rigidus. There are various problems in the great toe joint which could cause pain, with gout symptoms being an additional widely known condition. At times the big toe joint is entirely rigid and other times it's not necessarily rigid, it simply has a decreased capability to move which is less than the normal. The commonest reason behind a hallux rigidus will be osteoarthritis within the hallux joint. This particular osteoarthritis will happen after many years of deterioration of in the joint from a biomechanical issue with just how the hallux joint is not going to function how it really should. And the second reason behind the osteoarthritis is a one-time (or possibly a few) injury to the joint which does certain injury to the great toe joint and bring about the osteo arthritis to start. Commonly, the symptoms from this begins as a slight ache, sometimes having an periodic sharp shooting pain from the joint. Over time, it slowly but surely becomes worse and can become fairly painful. It will also modify the manner in which people walk.

The treatment methods of hallux rigidus are generally to some degree limited since there is no solution for osteoarthritis. The initial approach is handling of the pain and this may possibly include injections into the big toe joint along with the using of pain medicines. This can be going to probably work well in the short term but is not likely to fix the problem. Footwear that happen to be a lot more firm or have a rocker under the shoe are helpful at decreasing the movements in that big toe or hallux joint, however enable close to regular walking. You can also get a carbon fibre insole that could be placed in the shoes to make them rigid in order that whenever walking the great toe joint does not move. Foot supports will also be commonly used and will often have a rocker or another design function which ends under the great toe joint to also help minimize movement with the joint. There are also some other sort of pads which you can use as well as strapping with the big toe joint that might also be employed to limit motion in the joint.

Surgery is an alternative choice which could be considered with regard to hallux rigidus treatment. There are a few different techniques that your surgeon could take. One of these is to simply just fuse the big toe joint. This will likely certainly stop the pain but will affect the means you walk around to some extent. It's still a good option. One more surgical method is to get rid of some bone from across the big toe joint to permit the joint to move much more readily. The next operative choice is to upgrade the joint using an artificial joint or place a spacer inside the joint so the osteo-arthritis on the joints areas is removed and the two joints areas move on that spacer. Choosing which of those choices is something that the surgeon will have to make the decision based on how much deterioration was done to the joint and how workable the bone throughout the big toe joint is and exactly how deep the osteoarthritis goes.