Foot & Ankle
Hallux valgus
Hallux valgus outcomes are measured with foot and ankle patient-reported instruments, though most were designed around the ankle and have limited forefoot-specific content.
What you are actually deciding
Check the item content before choosing an instrument: several widely used foot and ankle measures are adapted from knee questionnaires and contain few items a forefoot patient would find relevant, which blunts responsiveness after bunion surgery.
Patient-reported outcome measure2
- FAAM Calculator29 itemsFoot and Ankle Ability MeasureThe FAAM is a 29-item patient-reported questionnaire for musculoskeletal disorders of the leg, foot and ankle that produces two separate subscale scores — Activities of Daily Living from 21 items and Sports from 8 items — each expressed from 0% (unable to perform the listed activities) to 100% (no limitation).
- FAOS Calculator42 itemsFoot and Ankle Outcome ScoreThe FAOS is a 42-item patient-reported questionnaire adapted from the KOOS that scores foot and ankle problems as five separate subscales — Symptoms, Pain, Activities of Daily Living, Sport and Recreation, and Quality of Life — each from 0 (extreme problems) to 100 (no problems).
Clinical calculator1
Thresholds that apply here
Published change thresholds across the instruments above. Check the population matches your patient before using a value — a threshold derived in a different cohort will mislead you.
| Instrument | Type | Value | Subscale | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAAM | MCID | 8 points | ADL | Adults with a broad range of leg, foot and ankle musculoskeletal disorders who self-rated as improved |
| FAAM | MCID | 9 points | Sports | Adults with a broad range of leg, foot and ankle musculoskeletal disorders who self-rated as improved |
| FAAM | MDC | 5.7 points | ADL | Adults with leg, foot and ankle musculoskeletal disorders, stable between administrations |
| FAAM | MDC | 12.3 points | Sports | Adults with leg, foot and ankle musculoskeletal disorders, stable between administrations |
| FAOS | MCID | 10 points | All subscales | Ankle disorders, by analogy with the KOOS |
| FAOS | MDC | 10–20 points depending on subscale | — | Chronic ankle instability |
See the full threshold database for every instrument on the site.