Hammertoe Treatments For Lasting Relief

What You Need To Know

Understanding hammertoes and how our team can help you find lasting relief.

Understanding Hammertoe and Your Options

Hammertoe is a bending (contracture) of the first joint in your toe, called the proximal interphalangeal joint. The contracture makes your toe look like an upside-down V. A hammertoe can affect any toe but is most common in the second through fifth toes. Over time, a hammertoe can become more deformed to the point of causing severe pain with daily activities, and a callus often develops on the top of the buckled joint.

There are two types of hammertoe. A flexible hammertoe is less severe and easier to treat, as the joint is still moveable. A rigid hammertoe is more serious and may require surgical treatment, often developing in people with severe arthritis or those who wait too long to seek care.

The most noticeable symptom is an abnormal bend in the toe. Other signs include pain when wearing shoes, inflammation, redness, or swelling at the joint, restricted or painful motion, and pain at the ball of the foot below the affected toe. Friction may also lead to corns or calluses between your toes.

The most common cause is a muscle and tendon imbalance from mechanical or neurological changes in the foot. Injuries, arthritis, bunions, and tight shoes can also contribute, and sometimes hammertoes are hereditary.

Hammertoes are progressive and never get better without some kind of intervention. Call us as soon as you notice signs and symptoms so we can evaluate your feet and build a treatment plan suited to your needs.

Treatment Options at Desert Foot and Ankle

There is a variety of treatment options for a hammertoe. The treatment your doctor selects will depend on the severity of your hammertoe and other factors. If your hammertoe is still flexible, non-surgical care is often very effective and remains our first approach.

Non-surgical measures include padding corns and calluses to shield them from irritation, along with changes in shoes. Avoid shoes with pointed toes, shoes that are too small, or high heels. Instead, choose comfortable shoes with a deep, roomy toe box and heels no higher than two inches.

A custom orthotic device placed in your shoe may help control the muscle and tendon imbalance. Corticosteroid injections are sometimes used to ease pain and inflammation, and oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may be recommended. Splints or small straps may also be applied to help realign the bent toe.

Although surgery for hammertoes is our last option, we offer arthroplasty (the removal of bone from an affected joint), arthrodesis (fusion of an affected bone), or a tendon and muscle balancing procedure. Often, patients with hammertoe have bunions or other foot deformities corrected at the same time. Your doctor will consider the extent of your deformity, the number of toes involved, your age, health status, and activity level when choosing a procedure.

Recovery length varies by individual and procedure, and our specialists will walk you through what to expect so you can return to comfortable activity.