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Hallux for left leg.
Latin Hallux, digitus I pedis, 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 adjective form is "hallucal".



Digit ratio[edit]

In humans, the hallux is usually longer than the second toe. 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.





A common problem involving the big toe is the formation of bunions (hallux valgus), a deformity characterized by lateral deviation of the great toe, often erroneously described as an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the head of the big toe.


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