Hallux rigidus is stiffness, pain and swelling of the big toe affecting the first metatarsophalangeal joint. It is commonly due to osteoarthritis of gradual onset but can also be caused by fractures, by gout or other rarer pathologies. Most people with hallux rigidus suffer from pain and restriction of movement in the big toe. Common complaints are: dull aching pain in the big toe, worse with walking distances, difficulty wearing shoes and decreasing sporting activity. Most patitents can be managed with the use of appropriate footwear and reduction in activity levels. Health food medication like Glucosamine or Chondroitin Sulphate and Cod Liver Oil are thought to be beneficial in arthritis but this is not clearly proven. In the early stages steroid injection and manipulation of the joint can produce relief of pain for some time. If conservative measures fail then the situation can be improved by an operation. There are a number of different operative procedures that can be used, depending on the stage of the disease and other factors. These include:

1. Cheilectomy (removal of excess bone and cleaning the joint) ± Moberg phalangeal osteotomy (cutting of one of the toe bones)
2 Fusion of the metatarsophalangeal joint (Arthrodesis)
3 Joint replacement (Replacement arthroplasty)
4 Joint excision (Keller's excision arthroplasty)