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No need to go without nice shoes.
Shoe insoles with metatarsal pads to support splayfeet, a corrective splint at night and surgical treatment of the deformed toe at some stage – that is what the treatment of many hallux valgus patients used to look like. People tormented with bunions can now try something new – the Kitzbühel company Hallufix with its bandage of the same name offers a patented aid that attempts to combine the corrective function of a rigid night splint with the supportive function of an insole for the metatarsal arch. What is new is that the bandage can even be worn during loading, that is, while walking. The fact that the Hallufix can be worn in almost any shoe is the convincing argument for Marion Stolbinger of Hallufix GmbH’s management: “At fairs I have amazed so many visitors by slipping off my court shoes and suddenly the Hallufix bandage on my foot appeared.“
How it functions
But how does this ”easily fitting wonder“ function and how does it differ from the aids available up to now? A splint that is kept in place by a toe and metatarsal bandage is designed to correct the toe 26 Orthopädieschuhtechnik 10/2006 deformity of mild to moderate hallux valgus without contracture. In contrast to conventional corrective night splints, the Hallufix also has a joint at the level of the bunion that enables walking in the bandage and is intended to support the foot when it rolls off naturally. And since hallux valgus is usually associated with splayfoot, which causes problems on walking and running, a pad is secured with Velcro to the underside of the Hallufix metatarsal bandage, which supports the heads of the metarsals during movement, which are strained by the splayfoot.
The aid is intended for preventive use in order to prevent progression of the hallux valgus deformity but can also be used postoperatively to stabilise the correction.
Expert advice
The Hallufix is basically designed to be fitted and adjusted by the patient him- or herself. Nevertheless, expert advice can be appropriate in a few cases. “It is important for the pad to be in the right place. Anyone who is unsure about this can obtain assistance on fitting from an expert, for instance, an orthopaedic shoe fitter“, says Axel Krauss, who helped to develop the Hallufix bandage. Afterwards, the customer can simply open the metatarsal bandage by the upper Velcro fastener and the pad will stay securely in place.
Apart from help with adjustment, it is always advisable for patients with an advanced hallux valgus deformity to have an expert look at the foot. “The Hallufix is not suitable for severe, contracted hallux valgus deformities”, says Krauss. The bandage is also contraindicated in certain disease conditions such as diabetes mellitus, disorders of lymphatic drainage or disorders of sensation and circulation in the feet.
Early prevention
Since the initial marketing in Germany in the spring of this year, the experience of the Hallufix team has been that its product is popular not only with the target group of the over-50s with hallux valgus pain. “Many younger women with a slight deformity also come to us because they know from their mothers and grandmothers the pain that “bunions” can cause at a later age“, explains Marion Stolbinger. The young women want to take preventive action in good time while their problem is still purely cosmetic in nature. “I always advise them to wear the splint regularly at night and perhaps for one or two hours during the day“, says the expert. “We have already had cases where mothers recommended the Hallufix to their daughters so that they will be spared problems and pain in old age“, reports Marion Stolbinger on the cross-generation acceptance of the bandage.
Back to the shoes
“Naturally, our customers ideally should wear comfortable shoes with enough room in the forefoot area, but anyone working in the orthopaedic shoe technology area simply knows how many women baulk at wearing these shoes“, reports Marion Stolbinger. For this reason alone, the fact that the Hallufix bandage can be worn inside many fashionable shoes is an unbeatable advantage. Perhaps not in the super-pointed stiletto, as that would naturally be counterproductive for the action of the aid. “You just could not get your foot into such shoes with the Hallufix because of the straight position of the toes“, says Axel Krauss. “The bandage creates its own wear conditions almost automatically.”
Desirable model
Stolbinger and Krauss stress that a suitable shoe for the Hallufix bandage is one that can be opened far to the front, for instance by means of a tongue or low lacing so that the shoes can be slipped on comfortably. The Hallufix advertisement (fig. 2) shows that fashionable trainers are suitable. “We are asked repeatedly by our customers 2 The red trainer attracted undreamt-of attention when it was used to demonstrate how easily the Hallufix can be worn inside a shoe .
where they can buy these shoes because they are so keen on them“, Marion
Stolbinger relates. From this unexpected interest in a shoe that fits the Hallufix bandage, the idea arose to actually market their own shoe, which would look trendy and be particularly suitable for wearing the bandage.
“Right now we are looking for a shoe manufacturer interested in cooperating with us in developing such a Hallufix shoe“, says Stolbinger, revealing one of Hallufix GmbH's plans for the future. “Perhaps we will find a partner for this project from among Orthopädieschuhtechnik’s readers“, the Hallufix expert says, to make the use of the Hallufix bandage even easier and more attractive for her customers.
Experience in the orthopaedic shoe business
Master orthopaedic shoe fitter Sebastian?Wartner is managing director of the Shoe Forum in?Markt Schwabenand became aware of the Hallufix through an advertisement in trade journals. Since April, he has been successfully offering the aid to his customers. “It is obvious that the customers are happy that ’at last there is something’ as an alternative to the rigid night splint, which many people say breaks easily and is uncomfortable to wear“, says Wartner. His impression is that there has been real “word of mouth“propaganda as many patients tell their friends about their happy experiences with the Hallufix and recommend it. But it is not only patients who are convinced by the effect of the Hallufix splint. Many doctors in Wartners area would also recommend the Hallufix for postoperative care. “The doctors greatly value the fact that the corrected metatarsophalangeal joint can move freely because of the free joint of the Hallufix splint so that no incorrect levers and pressures can act on the recently operated joint. Fixing the recently operated joint in a rigid position is not desirable but rather promotion of natural movement. The patient’s pain perception will regulate the radius of movement of the toe on its own“,Wartner believes.
Customers interested in the Hallufix are advised by trained sales assistants in the Shoe Forum. “Consultation with an orthopaedic shoe fitter is not absolutely necessary”, says Sebastian Wartner. The initial explanation by the sales assistant is adequate and the customer can then use it without problem.
And what shoes does Wartner see as compatible with the Hallufix? “We recommend shoes that are open in the mid-foot region or that can be opened widely far forward to provide enough room in the mid-foot area. The region of the bunion is of lesser importance as the foot is fixed extremely well by the metatarsal bandage and hardly splays at all on loading. We regard as unsuitable shoes that are closed in the mid-foot region or that are not adjustable, for instance by means of elastic. Transverse seams in the bunion region should also be checked for.“
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