Although the big toe is a small part of the body, it plays an important role in balancing walking, because the weight of the body is focused on the big toe when walking. Therefore, the big toe and its joint can have problems that are mentioned below.
Burning and tingling and murmurs, as well as numbness and drowsiness of the big toe can be the first sign of sciatica or lumbar disc involvement (mainly the intervertebral disc L5 – S1). To diagnose this, it is best to have a nerve and muscle tape done and, if necessary, referred for an MRI.
Another case is pain and inflammation of the big toe joint. If the pain is accompanied by stiffness of the joint and the inflammation and swelling are mild and the onset of problems is gradual, routine radiology should be performed, which is more likely to show DJD or osteoarthritis of the joint.
This problem, which is mainly caused by too much walking or stairs, is called hallux rigidus (stiffed toe) and its treatment includes avoiding high heels shoes and using hard soles with low flexibility, so that when walking put less pressure on the big toe.
Another problem is the deviation of the big toe to the opposite of the rest of the fingers or the deviation into the rest of the fingers, which is called hallux varus and hallux valgus, respectively.
The initial treatment for this problem is to use appropriate shoes so that the front of the shoe is wide and the toes are not pressed, and also the use of rubber and jelly devices or straps between toes . If it do not respond to treatment, corrective surgery is helpful.
Another problem that occurs with the big toe (and sometimes the rest of the joints) is the deposition of uric acid in the joints, which is called gout. In this case, the big toe suddenly becomes swollen, bruised and painful, and its movement is limited. In this case, it is necessary to see a doctor and prescribe medication.
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Prepared by the Rehabex team.
