Is your toe/s bent? Have you thought that it may be a disorder or are you considering it normal? You should visit a podiatrist at the earliest and find if it is a hammer toe.
Image Courtesy: modpodpodiatry.com.au
A hammer toe is a bending or contracture of the first joint of the digit of the toe, known as the proximal interphalangeal joint. Due to this bending, the toe looks like an upside-down V when you look at it from a side.
A hammer toe can affect any toe, but usually affects the 2nd to 5th toes, which are called lesser digits. Also, women are more affected by hammer toe than men.
Hammer toes are of two types:
- Flexible Hammer Toes: This type is less serious since it can be detected and treated just during its developmental stage. It’s named so because the toes can be moved at the joint.
- Rigid Hammer Toes: This is a more serious condition than flexible hammer toes. It is seen in people with severe arthritis or in those who postpone seeking professional help for too long. Tendons in a rigid hammer toe become tight, and joint becomes immobile and misaligned; therefore surgery becomes the typical course of treatment.
What Causes Hammer Toes?
The main cause of hammer toes is an abnormal balance of toe muscles. Because of this abnormal balance, an increased pressure is formed on the tendons and joints in the toe, causing its contracture.
Other causes of hammer toes are heredity and trauma.
Still another cause may be arthritis because in arthritic people, balance around the toe is upset.
Too tight shoes can also cause hammer toes by squeezing of toes.
Image Courtesy: modpodpodiatry.com.au
Symptoms
- Pain in the bent toe due to pressure from footwear
- Pain in the ball of the foot
- Swelling and redness at the joint contracture
- Corns on the top of the joint
- Painful or restricted movement of the toe joint
Home Remedies
Before you visit a podiatrist, you can try certain home remedies, such as:
- A commercial, non-medicated hammer toe pad to be applied around the bony projection of the hammer toe to reduce pressure on the area
- Wearing a shoe having a deep toe box
- Avoiding heels with a height more than two inches
- Applying ice packs several times in a day if the hammer toe becomes painful and inflamed
Diagnosis and Treatment
You can get the information of how hammer toes are diagnosed and treated by visiting the ModPod Podiatry website or your trusted podiatrist’s clinic.
You’ll find that treatment may vary according to the type and severity of the condition. However, recognising the disorder right during the developmental stage is necessary to avoid surgery.
An expert sports podiatrist Sydney from ModPod Podiatry, for example, will examine the affected area and take an X-ray and then suggest a treatment plan particularly for your condition.
Treatment may include padding and taping, medications like NSAIDs and cortisone injections, orthotic devices or surgery.
Prevention
Hammer toes can be prevented by wearing supportive shoes, avoiding shoes having narrow, pointed toe boxes and wearing custom orthotics prescribed by your podiatrist.
