Surgery for hallux valgus

The number of operations per 1,000 inhabitants was halved from 2015 to 2020, and the rates have remained stable from 2020 to 2025. The total number of operations was almost halved over the period from 2015 to 2025, from 3,366 in 2015 to 1,839 in 2025. Most of the decline occurred between 2015 and 2020. The number of operations in 2025 was approximately at the same level as in 2020.

The reduction in the number of operations can largely be attributed to a decrease in procedures performed on women. However, the majority of operations are still performed on women (86%) in 2025.

The average age at surgery for hallux valgus is 55 years.

There is considerable geographic variation in the surgical rates, with the highest rate in Helse Nord and the lowest rate in Helse Vest. In 2025, 2.5 times as many hallux valgus operations per 1,000 inhabitants were performed in Helse Nord compared to Helse Vest. In Finnmark, the catchment area with the highest rate, nearly nine times as many operations per 1,000 inhabitants were performed in 2025 compared to Stavanger, the catchment area with the lowest rate. The catchment areas of Stavanger and Fonna had the lowest rates in 2025, while Finnmark and Nordland had the highest.

The reduction in hallux valgus surgery is consistent with the "Gjør kloke valg" campaign, which recommends avoiding surgery if the patient has no symptoms.

The analysis is based on data from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) for specialist healthcare services. The data includes activity in public hospitals, publicly funded private hospitals, and specialists in private practice under public funding contacts.

The sample consists of patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of M20.1 in combination with:

• procedure code NHG44, NHG46, or NHK57 in hospitals, or
• fee code 134b or 140d with a specialist

The place of treatment is divided into three categories:

• Local public, treated at one of the hospitals in the catchment area
• Other public, treated at a public hospital outside the catchment area
• Private, treated by a private hospital or a private specialist

In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the population in 2023 as the reference population.

In graphs with patient‑aggregated data, the numbers are adjusted to avoid double‑counting patients. The actual number of patients is therefore higher when looking at a single variable for a focus area. For example, patients who have received both private and public treatment during a year are counted only once in total, which means that the number of patients in private treatment will be underreported.

SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.