a problem that affects more than one in five adults in our country. The definitive remedy remains surgery, but several treatments are possible first. It talks about it in the Corriere Salute on newsstands on Thursday
We are publishing a preview of part of an article in the new Corriere Salute. You can read the full text on the free issue on Thursday 8 September or in Pdf on the Digital Edition of Corriere della Sera.
Hallux valgus is the most common foot deformity today. It affects about 23% of the adult population in Italy. The big toe is a small structure, but an enormous force is concentrated within it. In fact, during the walk the last propulsive thrust is given by the flexion of the big toe which concludes the step phase, explains Cesare Faldini, full professor of Orthopedics and traumatology, at the University of Bologna and director of the SC Orthopedic and Traumatology Clinic of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute of Bologna. Since the forces on the front of the foot are extremely concentrated and the structures are small, an imbalance between the resistance of the ligaments and the forces involved can lead to the so-called hallux valgus: the consequence of the enlargement of the metatarsals in which the first toe is , ie the big toe, deviates towards the other toes. This condition is associated with a prominence of the metatarsal bone on the inner side of the foot which causes an aesthetic defect, the so-called “onion”, but also pain due to the conflict with the shoe.
What are the remedies?
Treatment can initially be conservative using insoles, braces, separators: it reduces symptoms that can range from very mild to acute pain that limits normal activities. The mechanical dysfunction of the foot mainly depends on the degree of deformity. As its deviation progresses, the big toe loses its carrying capacity by transferring the burden of thrust to the other outer toes which are smaller and which have not been designed to support such a load. Another remedy is the use of wide-planted shoes, in soft leather, without seams, associated with an insole prescribed by the doctor that unloads the metatarsals. If the patient does not benefit from conservative treatment, surgery is considered, which corrects the deformity.
You can continue reading the article in Corriere Salute on newsstands for free on Thursday 8 September or in Pdf in the Digital Edition of Corriere della Sera.
September 7, 2022 (change September 7, 2022 | 18:28)
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