ABOUT THE DISEASE
Hammertoe is a foot deformity that occur most often in women who wear high heels or shoes with a narrow toe box. There is a deformity in any or all of the three middle toes where they always appear to be bent giving claw like appearance.
CAUSES
- Toe injury
- arthritis
- high foot arch
- wearing ill fitting shoes
- tightened ligaments or tendons in the foot
- nerve damage in the area
SYMPTOMS
- • Pain at the top of the bent toe, specially when putting on a shoe
- • Corns or calluses
- • Inability to flex the foot
- • Toe joint swelling
- • Claw like deformity in toes
DIAGNOSIS
- Physical inspection
- X-ray
TREATMENT METHODS
If the toe is still flexible, treatment options include:
Wearing properly fitting shoes, wearing shoe inserts or pads, avoiding high heels, Cortisone injections to relieve acute pain, Foot exercises to help restore muscle balance and Splinting the toe may help in the very early stages.
If patient is unable to flex the toe, surgery may be advised. It is done to reposition the toe, remove deformed or injured bone, and realign the tendons. Surgery is normally done on an outpatient basis.
You may also like to learn about:
Bone deformity
Corn
Joint disorders
Fracture
Tendinitis
Flat feet