Comparison of foot function and physical performance between women with and without bilateral painful hallux valgus

Background: We aimed to investigate whether foot function and physical performance differ between women with and without bilateral painful hallux valgus (HV). Methods: Forty-four women with bilateral painful HV and forty-three controls were included. The Foot Function Index, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Hallux Metatarsophalangeal-Interphalangeal Joints Scale, and Manchester -Oxford Foot Questionnaire were used. The time while walking 10 m-walkway at maximum speed and ascending and descending ten stairs as fast as possible also single-limb stance time were measured. Results: All self-reported and performance-based measures showed that women with HV had poorer foot function and physical performance than controls (p < 0.05). Women with mild HV had better self-reported foot function than those with moderate HV or severe HV (p < 0.05), but physical performance did not differ (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Women with bilateral painful HV exhibited poorer self-reported foot function and performance-based physical function than those without HV. Levels of evidence: Level III (c) 2023 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.