You’ve had a hammertoe deformity for a while now, but you were never too concerned about the claw-like bend in your toe’s middle joint because it never hurt — and you could still move your toe with ease and press it flat with your finger.
But recently, you’ve noticed that your hammertoe seems to be getting stiffer and harder to move, and you’re worried it’s about to become a bigger problem.
You’re right to be concerned, and our Sports Medicine Oregon team is here to tell you why. Read on as our board-certified orthopedists explore the ins and outs of hammertoe progression, including how you can keep it in check — and when it’s time for expert care.
A hammertoe is a claw-like bend in the middle toe joint that keeps the affected toe in an inverted “V” shape, preventing it from lying flat. This common deformity accounts for about one in five medical care visits (20%) made for orthopedic foot concerns.
Hammertoe development is often prompted by tight-fitting shoes, flat feet, high arches, bunions, or arthritis. How? The structural foot changes that occur with such conditions can lead to an imbalance within the toe muscles that eventually leads to a joint contracture.
Early on, hammertoes are flexible, meaning the muscle imbalance and resulting joint contracture are mild and highly responsive to treatment — even reversible. Without proper care, however, all hammertoe deformities will progress through three stages:
Rigid hammertoes tend to be much more painful than flexible hammertoes, often undermining mobility. Once a hammertoe is rigid, surgery is typically the best option.
Fortunately, conservative treatment solutions can deliver long-lasting relief as they work to slow, halt, or even reverse hammertoe deformity progression — as long as you catch the problem in its early, flexible phase.
You’ll want to take steps to manage flexible hammertoe before it advances, but if you don’t, these strategies can still help you control its progression if it seems to be worsening:
Choose comfortable, supportive shoes with a wide toe box to minimize pressure on the affected toe. Never wear narrow, tight-fitting, or high-heeled shoes with a hammertoe.
Made to support your feet precisely, custom orthotic inserts redistribute your weight more evenly, eliminating “pressure points” on your hammertoe. In addition to easing inflammation and pain, this can help slow, halt, or reverse hammertoe progression.
Available at your local pharmacy, toe pads and orthopedic medical tape offer an easy way to cushion your hammertoe inside your shoe — or use taping to hold it in a straighter, flatter position gently.
Our team can teach you daily physical therapy (PT) exercises and stretches to improve the muscle tone and flexibility of your affected toe.
Even if your flexible hammertoe only seems to be progressing into a semi-rigid state, it’s a good idea to schedule a visit with our team: Besides teaching you PT stretches and showing you the best techniques for taping your toe, we can prescribe custom orthotic inserts for advanced hammertoe care.
We recommend a prompt in-office evaluation for any hammertoe that:
With the right care strategies, you should be able to stop hammertoe progression — or possibly resolve the condition altogether. To find out how we can help, call or click online to schedule a visit at your nearest Sports Medicine Oregon location in Tigard or Wilsonville, Oregon, today.
