| Hallux | |
|---|---|
| Hallux for left leg. | |
| Latin | Hallux; Digitus primus pedis |
In tetrapods, the hallux (big toe, great toe) is the innermost (most medial) toe of the foot. Despite its name it may not be the longest toe on the foot of some individuals. It is counted as digit I (one).
The name stems from the Latin for the same, similar to the pollex, which refers to the thumb, the corresponding digit of the hand.
People who go barefoot or wear open-toed sandals most of the time tend to have big toes that are separate from the others, whereas in persons who wear shoes most of the time, the big toes are squeezed toward touching the second toes.
Contents |
In humans, the hallux is longer than the second or pointer or index toe for a majority of people. This is an inherited trait in humans, where the dominant gene causes a longer second toe ("Morton's toe" or "Greek foot") while the homozygous recessive genotype presents with the more common trait: a longer hallux.[1] People with the rare genetic disease fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva characteristically have a short hallux which appears to turn inward, or medially, in relation to the foot.
In birds with anisodactyl or heterodactyl feet, the hallux is opposed or directed backwards and allows for grasping and perching.
While the thumb is often mentioned as one of the signature characteristics in humans, this manual digit remains partially primitive and is actually present in all primates. In humans, the most derived digital feature is the hallux.[2]
A common problem involving the big toe is the formation of bunions (hallux valgus), an abnormal enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the toe.
The big toe is also the most common locus of ingrown nails and gout attacks.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||