Do Patients Aged 70 Years and Older Benefit From Hallux Valgus Surgery?

The prevalence of hallux valgus increases with age. However, few studies have compared the effectiveness of surgical correction among different age groups. The authors present a retrospective evaluation of the influence of age on clinical outcomes. Patients who underwent corrective surgery for hallux valgus at an academic hospital were stratified into 2 age groups: ≥70 years old (Group 1) and <70 years old (Group 2). Following propensity score matching there were 106 patients: 53 patients in each group. Clinical outcomes, quality of life, and satisfaction questionnaires were collected preoperatively and at 6 months and 24 months postoperatively. There were no differences between both patient groups in preoperative biodata and clinical parameters. However, elderly patients had significantly poorer Physical Component Summary scores postoperatively at both 6 months (p = .001) and 24 months (p < .001), and significantly poorer American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Hallux Metatarsophalangeal- Interphalangeal Scale at 24 months (p = .026). There was no difference between the 2 groups in patient satisfaction rates at 24 months postoperatively (70% vs 85%, p > .05). Elderly patients display significant improvements in their clinical scores 24 months postoperatively with no significant difference between satisfaction rates with their younger counterparts. Elderly patients can stand to benefit from hallux valgus surgery.