Hallux rigidus describes a condition where your big toe becomes painful and stiff. This is due to arthritis. For disorders that affect your big toe, it’s the second most common overall (behind bunions), while it’s the most common arthritic condition affecting your big toe.

To date, experts aren’t quite sure why the condition appears in some people and not others. In medical language, this is called the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint.

Until now, joint replacements have had limited success at best. Typically, patients have gotten:

1. Total joint replacements
2. Hemiarthroplasties (replacement of the joint’s surface with metal or polyethylene plastics)

Generally, patients want to be able to continue to wear their favorite shoes and perform their favorite activities like normal. However, the two procedures you just learned about will loosen, wear, or lose range of motion, making wearing preferred shoe wear uncomfortable and painful. Patients also commonly lose their ability to participate in their favorite physical activities.

Cartiva SCI Provides the New Solution to Big Toe Joint Pain, Stiffness, and Arthritis

What is Cartiva SCI?

First, you need to understand that you have cartilage lining the bony surface of your big toe joint. It’s actually called “articular cartilage,” and it’s smooth and white.

Cartiva SCI is a “Synthetic Cartilage Implant.” Traditional methods remove the damaged cartilage around your toe and a combination of pins, screws, and a plate keep your big toe joint fixed in a certain position. Eventually, the bone grows back together. While it eliminates pain and arthritis, it does so at the expense of moving your big toe. You may have your favorite daily activities restricted or some of them completely eliminated altogether as a result.

With Cartiva SCI, you get an implant made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). PVA has actually been used in a variety of medical devices for more than two decades now. Cartiva SCI actually mimics how natural cartilage works in your big toe.

Why Use Cartiva SCI?

We currently recommend Cartiva SCI for big toe arthritis, stiffness, and pain because it:

• Relieves the pain without restricting the mobility of your big toe joint
• Allows you to do the daily activities and wear the shoes you want
• Has a quick recovery period
• Hasn’t been found to cause any additional irritation to your big toe joint
• Has no risk of transmitting a viral or bacterial disease
• Does not degrade

In other words, you’ll experience less pain, have a fuller and faster recovery, and you’ll be back to doing your normal daily activities that you’ve always enjoyed. In our opinion, it’s the best current treatment option for big toe joint arthritis, pain, and stiffness.