Radiological investigation of the presence and morphometry of hallux valgus in individuals who applied to the University hospital

Hallux valgus (HV) is a foot problem characterized by lateral deviation of the thumb and medial deviation of the first metatarsal bone. It is a painful foot disease that disrupts the aesthetic appearance of the foot and restricts the activities of daily living. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of HV in adults, mean angle and severity of the disease and to contribute to conservative or operative treatment protocols. In our study, anterior-posterior plain radiographs of 269 individuals (158 females, 111 males) who met the inclusion criteria of 1200 individuals who applied to Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Health Research and Application Center / Hospital between January 2016 and December 2018 were evaluated retrospectively. The mean age of the participants was 46  15 years. The individuals in our study were divided into 3 groups as 18-43 years, 44-68 years and over 68 years. Most of the individuals were in the 44-68 age group. In our study, hallux valgus angle (HVA) and intermetatarsal angle (IMA) values were not found to be significantly different between women and men compared to the right and left feet, but the values in women were higher than men (p> 0.05). There was a positive correlation between HVA and IMA values of the subjects (p <0.001). In our study, 79 (50%) of women and 41 (36.94%) of men had bilateral HV, 39 (24.68%) of women and 37 (33.33%) of men had unilateral HV. 40 (25.32%) of women and 33 (29.73%) of men had no HV. Right HV was found in 11 (6.96%), left HV was found in 28 (17.72%) of women and right HV was found in 14 (12.61%), left HV was found in 23 (20.72%) of men. There was no correlation between age and severity of HV in our study (p> 0.05). As the age increased, the probability of bilateral HV was increased (p <0.05). The severity of HV was higher in patients with bilateral HV (p <0.001). When the severity of HV in the left foot increased, the severity of HV in the right foot increased (p <0.001).