Patients’ perspective on the surgical treatment of hallux valgus

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate patients’ perspectives on the risk factors for hallux valgus, and their quality of life before and after surgery. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, retrospective study, conducted in a tertiary hospital with 50 patients undergoing surgical treatment of hallux valgus. Data were tabulated using three methodological figures: central idea, key expressions and collective subject discourse. Results: Regarding the risk factors, most of the patients demonstrated knowledge, expressed through central ideas such as: heredity, and wearing inappropriate shoes. In relation to quality of life before surgery, impairment was noted, inferred by central ideas such as: pain and discomfort, restriction in the use of shoes, functional limitation and aesthetic impairment; and regarding postoperative quality of life, most patients expressed satisfaction with the results. Conclusion: Authentic discourses in the context of a prevalent pathology have expressed, for the first time, the conceptions of risk factors, quality of life before and after hallux valgus surgery. Level of Evidence V; Therapeutic Study; Expert Opinion.

Keywords

• Hallux valgus
• Foot deformities
• Qualitative research
• Bioethics