Understanding Hammertoes: What They Are and How to Treat Them
September 18, 2024
What are Hammertoes?
Hammertoes happen when a toe joint bends upwards. They typically begin as a minor deformity but can quickly get worse. You’ll know you have a hammertoe if you notice an unusual bend in the toe that is accompanied by discomfort and pain. You can also develop corns and calluses around the hammertoe.
Causes
Hammertoes have several causes. One common cause is wrong fitting shoes. If a shoe is too tight or puts too much pressure on the toes, it can cause deformity. Along the same lines, high heels cause hammertoes. This happens because the angle of heels puts a lot of pressure on the toes. Another cause of hammertoes is a foot injury. The trauma to the toes can develop into hammertoes.
If these symptoms sound familiar, it might be time to get it looked at by a podiatrist. When you come in to one of our offices for a hammertoe, the doctor will go through a thorough exam of the foot as well as take x-rays before diagnosing the problem.
While understanding the causes of hammertoes is important, recognizing how they can affect surrounding structures, especially nerves, is just as essential.
Numb Feeling in Your Feet
Do you have numbness or a tingling feeling in your feet? What about burning pain or difficulty standing for long periods? In some cases, these symptoms may be related to a neuroma, an irritation or inflammation of a nerve in the foot. Conditions like hammertoes can contribute to the development of a neuroma by creating abnormal pressure or crowding in the toes, which places stress on nearby nerves. This irritation can lead to swelling and the burning, tingling sensations you may be experiencing.
Treatment
The earlier a hammertoe is caught and treated the better. Before it gets worse, there are a few non-invasive options that can heal them. If caught early, hammertoes can be treated with a change of shoes that ease the pressure on your toes, corn and callus pads to keep your toes comfortable, pain medication, corticosteroid injection, and other non-invasive treatments. If caught later, the doctor can perform corrective surgery on the effected toes to relieve pain. The surgery is done by removing excessive bone and realigning the toe and any other issues.
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