Experience and Satisfaction with Non-surgical Hallux Valgus Treatment Among Patients in Siriraj Hospital

Objectives: To describe patient experiences, treatments, outcomes, side effects, and satisfaction with hallux valgus treatments at Siriraj Hospital. Study design: A cross-sectional study Setting: Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand Subjects: Two hundred thirty participants aged over 18 who were diagnosed with hallux valgus by their physician for over a year and were able to communicate in Thai. Participants had to use the treatment for at least 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, for a minimum of 1 month. Methods: Data was collected via questionnaires from July 2021 to April 2022. Proportions of experience and satisfaction with non-surgical hallux valgus treatment were calculated to measure the patient’s experience and satisfaction with treatment options from the patient’s perspective. Mean pain score differences before and after treatment were analyzed using a paired sample t-test. Results: The study included 217 females (94.3%) with a mean age of 56 SD = 16.4. Fifty-six percent had bilateral hallux valgus. The most common treatment was changing footwear or shoe modification, which was used by 93.0% of participants. The most preferred treatment was changing footwear or shoe modification (65.2%), followed by insoles (20.0%) and dynamic splints (5.7%). These treatments all showed statistically significant clinical improvement (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p = 0.008, respectively). Most participants (81.3%) felt their deformity remained unchanged. The median satisfaction score was high for all treatments (8 out of 10). No serious complications were reported. Conclusions: Changing footwear or shoe modification was the most utilized and the preferred treatment, demonstrating significant clinical improvement. Further studies are recommended to investigate the effectiveness of newer treatments and potential alternatives, e.g., bunion shields, toe separator socks, and cotton toe separators.