The effects of night splints on patients suffering from painful hallux abducto valgus deformity.

Abstract

Aim The aim of this research project is to get an insight on the effects of night splints for the potentially painful Hallux Abducto Valgus deformity. The study aims to assess the level of three different factors namely; pain, disability and activity limitation, that affect patients suffering from painful Hallux Abducto Valgus, before and after the three month use of night splints. Research design and method A quantitative, time serious, same subject design study was conducted on thirty Maltese patients, suffering from painful Hallux Abducto Valgus from the months of October 2009 to January 2010. Thirty Maltese participants were chosen by podiatrists with a minimum of ten years experience in the podiatric field. The subjects, both males and females, were between the ages of 20 to 50 years and suffered from any grade of painful Hallux Abducto Valgus. Following their informed consent the participants were asked to fill in the Visual Analogue Scale and the Foot Function Index. The night splints were moulded to accommodate the patients deformity and the subjects were instructed how to use them for the following three months. Following these three months the patients were again asked to refill the Visual Analogue Scale and the Foot Function Index. Results The statistical analyses were carried out with the use of the paired sample t-test. The Visual Analogue Scale showed a significant reduction (p-value = 0.000) in the intensity of pain following the three month use of the night splints. Activity limitation (p-value = 0.029); disability (p-value = 0.000) and pain (p-value = 0.000) that were assessed with the use of the Foot Function Index were also shown to have significantly improved with the use of night splints. Conclusion Hallux Abducto Valgus is a common foot deformity occurring in the adult population. In some cases it can be painful resulting in decreased quality of life. As the statistical analyses show, there was a noteworthy reduction in the level of pain, disability and activity limitation when the participants used the night splints for a three month period. There is limited evidence on the effects of night splints and other conservative treatment on this first metatarsophalangeal joint deformity. Further research about night splints will be a helpful tool for podiatrists and other health care professionals, since it will give a better insight on this type of conservative treatment and its' effects on Hallux Abducto Valgus.