The Importance of Early Expert Care for a Flexible Hammertoe Deformity

Hammertoe is the most common problem affecting your toes (other than the big toe). Why is seeking care while the hammertoe is flexible so important? That’s the only way to avoid surgery.

Vinai Prakash, DPM at Lake Washington Foot and Ankle Clinic, offers expert care for hammertoe at any stage. Keep reading to learn about flexible hammertoe and your treatment options.

Hammertoe explained 

Hammertoe causes the top of the toe to turn down, bending at the toe’s middle joint. Though this deformity could affect any toe, it usually appears in the second, third, and fourth toes.

The condition develops due to an imbalance in strength between the muscles that bend the toe and those that straighten it. The toe remains bent because the stronger muscles hold it in that position.

There are several reasons you could have hammertoe:

Ill-fitting shoes and high heels

One of the most common causes is wearing ill-fitting shoes and high heels. They put excessive stress on your toes, forcing them into a cramped, bent position. Frequently exposing the toes to this pressure causes a muscle imbalance.

Health problems

Diabetes, neuromuscular conditions, and inflammatory arthritis are a few of the problems that can affect the toe’s muscles and joints, raising your risk of hammertoe.  

Deformities

You’re more likely to develop a hammertoe if you have a bunion deformity or your second toe is longer than the first (big toe).

Movement

Another possible cause is related to movement. The second, third, and fourth toes are essential for stability and balance when walking and standing.

How you move may put more stress on one group of muscles, which makes them work harder and get stronger than the other set. The stronger muscles make the toe bend down.

Pronation (rolling your foot) is one example of unusual movement that might lead to hammertoes.

Hammertoe symptoms

Hammertoe can be incredibly painful. You may also have redness and swelling. Walking becomes increasingly difficult the longer a hammertoe goes untreated. At some point, you may have a hard time finding shoes you can wear without being in excruciating pain.

Flexible vs. rigid hammertoe

When hammertoe begins, your toe may stay bent, but the tissues remain flexible. You can tell because you can still manually bend the toe, and that toe straightens when you stand.

The longer the toe stays bent, the more the muscles and tendons tighten, making them hard to uncurl. Without treatment, the tissues become rigid. At that point, it’s impossible to straighten the toe, and it stays frozen in a bent position.

Importance of early treatment

If you seek expert care while your hammertoe is still in the flexible stage, we can repair the problem with conservative therapies.

We begin by relieving pressure on the involved joint and the tip of the toe. As we reduce the pressure, we use treatments that keep the toe straight and start an exercise regimen to improve weak muscles and tendons.

Conservative treatments for flexible hammertoe include:

• Splinting
• Customized orthotics
• Padding and taping
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Strengthening and stretching exercises
• Shoes with low heels and more toe space
• Treating problems caused by hammertoes (like corns and calluses)

The appropriate combination of treatments usually restores the toe’s natural position and movement.

By comparison, surgery is the only treatment option when a hammertoe goes untreated and reaches a rigid state.

During surgery, we may lengthen or replace the tendon, repair damaged joints, and trim or realign the bones. In severe cases, we may need to fuse the toe bones in the involved joint to stop movement and prevent future bending.

Seek help while your hammertoe is flexible

The best way to prevent pain and avoid surgery is to seek help while the bent toe is still flexible. Call Lake Washington Foot and Ankle Clinic today, or schedule an appointment online.