Postoperative Rehabilitation after Hallux Valgus Surgery: A literature review

Abstract

Background: Hallux valgus deformity is a common condition and several surgical treatments are discussed in the literature. The main purpose of this study is to review the literature concerning rehabilitation treatment following hallux valgus surgery. Methods: The present literature review is performed by searching the following databases: PubMed and Embase using the Medical Subject Headings terms ‘hallux valgus’, ‘postoperative rehabilitation’, ‘surgical procedures’ matched by the Boolean operator AND; The Cochrane Library using ‘hallux valgus’, ‘postoperative rehabilitation’ matched by the Boolean operator AND; and PEDro using ‘hallux valgus’. Results: The initial search identified ninety-four citations, and of those, eighty-five were excluded because they were related to surgical techniques, including percutaneous access and/or different osteotomy modalities, to radiological evaluations before and after the correction to describe the deformity, to surgical complications or to anesthesia management. Study design, patients, outcome measures, and the main results were extracted. After the selection, nine documents related to rehabilitation were included. Discussion: The findings of this review indicated that areas peripheral to the surgery, such as the ankles and toes (second to fifth) should be included in the rehabilitation program. Treatment may include physical instruments as magnetic fields in order to manage pain and edema postoperatively. In the included studies, American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, range of motion, and visual analogic scale were mainly used as tools for evaluating outcomes. Conclusion: Postoperative rehabilitation timeframe may vary depending on the surgical technique and can be performed in an outpatient setting. The use of appropriate footwear that allows safe walking and does not compromise the surgical result is important immediately after surgery. Postoperative rehabilitation is mainly oriented to encourage both plantar pressure on the first ray and joint mobility. It also represents an important component of recovery following the correction of hallux valgus deviation, where it helps to restore physiological gait and foot function.