[Functional hallux limitus (Fhl): a new explanation for overuse pathologies]

Functional Hallux limitus (Fhl) is still a misconceived and unappreciated clinical entity, being often diagnosed during a clinical examination or a podiatric assessment. In the presence of Fhl, the patient's gait necessitates the unwitting existence of complementary efforts on their part, thus resembling to the gait pattern of someone with elongated foot or feet. The consequences of this dysfunction affect all age groups and manifest themselves in the form of low back pain, impingement, sprain, joint incongruence, or overload tendon and fibro-osseous lesions. An elongated foot gait pattern increases the stress applied to bones and joints and subsequently disrupts equilibrium. The biomechanical changes induced by Fhl mandate a profound reconsideration of our way of thinking and analysis, hence a revision of our reference system. It is indeed a new paradigm shift.