Recently, after Ms. Yu, who lives in The Haizhu District of Guangzhou, finished her square dance, her big toe was in severe pain as if she had been stepped on, accompanied by redness and swelling, and she could not wear shoes to walk. She hurried to a top three hospital near her home for treatment.
After diagnosis, it was found that Ms. Yu had a big toe valgus (medically called "foot thumb valgus"). She is 63 years old, and this foot disease has plagued her for more than thirty years.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
Ms. Yu said that in the past, as long as she wore loose shoes, her toes did not feel pain, but it was ugly, so she did not care too much.
But as she grew older, the large bone joints of her big toes grew larger and larger, and the pain after exercise was unbearable, which seriously affected her life.
Ms. Yu also said that her mother also had this problem, but both mother and daughter endured for half a lifetime...
After Xu Chujiang saw Ms. Yu's foot, he told her: This is called foot thumb valgus, commonly known as "big foot bone disease", simply put, the bone at the root of the big toe "ran off" inward. From the outside, it looks like an extra bone grows.
In addition to affecting the appearance, the valgus of the foot can cause pain, redness and swelling on the inside of the big toe. Once the deformity is formed, it is difficult to recover on its own, the pain will become more and more severe, and walking will become a kind of torture...
If left untreated, the valgus of the foot thumb will continue to worsen, and the development of the disease can be roughly divided into four steps.
In the first step, some people thumb toe outward, and the big thumb heel is adducted inward, so that the front foot is like a triangular "big snake head", which is the foot thumb valgus (Tianjin commonly known as "big bone heel").
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In the second step, if the thumb is severely skimmed, the second and third toes can be pushed up, and over time can form a hammer-shaped toe, that is, like a "sledgehammer".
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In the third step, after the heel of the big thumb (actually the first metatarsal bone) is moved inward, the area is severely raised and easy to form friction with the shoe. Over time, the skin and subcutaneous tissue here thicken, become red and swollen, which in turn leads to bunions and pain. If it ulcerates locally, it can also cause infection.
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In the fourth step, people with legar valgus deformity, the biomechanics of the forefoot are abnormal, and many have a base callosum (commonly known as "hard cocoon" or "corn").
The proportion of men and women with valgus of foot thumb is 1:9 to 1:15 [1]. Why are women more likely to get the disease?
1. Valgus foot thumb has a certain genetic predisposition [2].
If the family suffers from hallux valgus, the probability of the child getting sick increases significantly.
Because the strength of the ligaments in the feet of women is weaker than in men, it is more likely to occur valgus of the foot under the same genetic conditions.
Ligament flexibility decreases with age, which is why hallux valgus is more common in middle-aged and elderly women.
2. High heels and pointed shoes are the primary causative factors for valgus of the foot thumb!
Women who love beauty often wear high heels and pointed leather shoes, so that the forefoot is tightly wrapped.
When standing in high heels, it will force the foot into a narrow triangle area, and the toes will be in an abnormal state. Over time, the thumb valgus will gradually form.
If the shoes are not suitable, it will aggravate the foot damage.
To tell you the truth, if you want to make your feet healthy, it is best not to wear shoes! Studies have shown that the incidence of hallux valgus in people who wear shoes is 15 times higher than that of people who do not wear shoes [3-4]!
3. Certain joint diseases, such as synovitis caused by rheumatoid arthritis, can cause damage to the toe joint capsule, leading to hallux valgus.
4. Thumb valgus is also closely related to standing for a long time, walking for too long, and excessive weight bearing.
It can be understood that people who often need to stand one station for a day in the mall sales, people who run business outside every day, workers who need to carry heavy loads, etc., their feet may be miserable...
Our feet silently endure functions such as standing and walking every day, but few people pay attention to it. In fact, there are many problems with the feet (as shown below), each of which may make us unstable in the next game.
From today on, please take care of your feet!
1. Prevention
To prevent foot diseases such as foot thumb valgus, the most important thing is to buy the right shoes. When choosing shoes, it is better to have a flat toe and a wide toe, and the heel should not be too high.
If you have to wear high heels because of the needs of the work, you should also choose a heel that does not exceed 4 cm and the toe cap is as wide as possible. The office can have a pair of flat shoes and wear them alternately with high heels.
Soaking your feet with hot water when you get home from work can help relieve foot fatigue.
2. Treatment
For early or mild valgus foot thumb, the pain is mild and nonoperative therapy may be used. Methods include massage, pulling the big toe inward, walking barefoot on sand, applying warm compresses and resting.
Usually you can consciously exercise the foot muscles, there are two sets of movements can be tried:
(1) Put a rubber band on both sides of the big toe (or go to the pharmacy or hospital to buy a thumb valgus correction tape) and make a traction action in the opposite direction of the left and right, 4 times a day, 5 to 10 minutes each time.
(2) Put the rubber band on all the toes and let the toes do the separation action with force.
(Image source: self-photographed)
If the situation is more serious, such as Ms. Yu's case, surgery may be required.
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
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