 Hammer toes is when
the joint of the toes
curl down. The reason
they curl abnormally is
due to a muscle imbalance
which results in the tendons
becoming unnaturally tight.
They are due to Heredity,
improper shoes, and ArthritisThere are two types of hammer toes:
These classification are
based on the mobility of
the toe joints. A flexible
hammer toe is one with
a flexible toe joint that
allows it to be straightend
with your finger. In time a
flexible joint may turn into a
rigid hammer toe. Normally
flexible hammer toes are much
less painful than rigid hammer
toes. A rigid hammer toe
is one with a rigid toe
joint, one that is not moveable
with your finger. These rigid
toe joints can be very
painful and limit the ability
to move. Corns that appear
on the toes especially the
5th and 2nd toes are a
direct result of hammer
toes, due to the rubbing
of the top of the toes on
the shoes. To prevent this
from occurring wear a shoe
with what is known as a
"high toe box". Many
people use toe pads.
If you must, please use
non-medicated pads.
Sometimes surgery can not be
avoided. If needed, the surgery
chosen is decided by whether
we are dealing with a flexible
or rigid hammer toe. If the
surgery is on a flexible hammer
toe, it is performed
on soft tissue structures like the
tendon and or capsule of the
flexor hammer toe.
Rigid hammer toes need bone
surgeries into the joint of
the toe to repair it. This
bone surgery is called an
arthroplasty. As I wrote in my
book The Agony Of De-Feet,
all hammer toe surgeries should
be done out of the hospital
in the doctor's office.
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