Synonyms
bunion, frostbite, bunion, big toe bunion, bunion of the foot, bunion foot, clubfoot, hallux abductovalgus
Forms of therapy
Basically there is the conservative treatment, on the other hand there is the surgical therapy of hallux valgus. The treatment with a hallux valgus splint is one of the conservative forms of treatment.
Introduction
The cause of the hallux valgus deformity is an imbalance between the ligaments and tendons of the foot. Increasing stretching of the ligaments but lack of longitudinal expansion of the tendons leads to an increasing hallux valgus malposition. There are various splint and bandage systems, which are mainly worn at night to counteract the increasing malposition.
A Hallux valgus splint has the task of correcting or minimizing the malalignment by means of targeted traction on the bent big toe. There are basically different Hallux valgus splint systems with different designs. However, the basic physical principle is the same for all splints. By pulling the curved big toe against the malpositioning, the toe is to be corrected by continuous stretching.
Rail systems
The different rails (exemplary)
- Hallufix
- HalluLoc
- Bale protection bandages
- Midfoot bandage with without pad
Critical evaluation of the rails and their effectiveness
The active principle of Hallux valgus splints does not address the actual cause of connective tissue weakness. It is a so called symptomatic therapy, in which we try to stretch the connective tissue and ligament structures against the malposition. A healing of the malposition is certainly not possible.
It is not clear to what extent a permanent improvement of the malposition can be achieved or a deterioration stopped by wearing the Hallux valgus splint continuously for many years. Objectively, however, the possible results that can be achieved must be assessed as low.
