Is sports practice a relevant risk factor for hallux valgus? A literature review

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between Hallux valgus (HV) and the practice of different sports modalities, considering the etiological and etiopathogenic mechanisms and the functional impacts described in the literature. Methods: This is an integrative literature review, which followed the systematic steps of search, selection, and analysis of studies. Controlled keywords and Boolean operators were used to search the PubMed database for publications from January 2005 to January 2025. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight articles were included in the final sample. Results: The analysis revealed that sports practice is a relevant risk factor for HV, whose etiopathogenesis may be associated with both repetitive microtraumas—common in sports such as ballet, sports dance, and climbing—and unique traumas—characteristic of modalities such as American football and baseball. In 62.5% of the studies analyzed, there was a relationship with chronic overload in the metatarsophalangeal joint, while 37.5% related HV to acute trauma. Conclusion: Although multiple factors influence the development of HV, sports practice, when associated with joint overload or direct trauma, is a significant contributor to the pathogenesis of the deformity. Level of Evidence V; Review.