Hammertoes
Click here for Home Treatment of
Hammertoes and Corns
A hammertoe is a toe with a joint permanently buckled downward.
It may be flexible or stiff, and may occur on any toe.
Hammertoes occur when abnormalities in the function of the foot cause
ligaments and tendons to tighten. This results in the toe's joints
bending, cocking the toe upward.
Second digit hammertoe
Pain from hammertoes usually occurs when shoes rub on the prominent
portion of the toe. The result is inflammation and possibly corns,
calluses or ulceration.
Hammertoe causing ulcertion.
Early on in the process of forming a hammertoe, the toe remains
flexible, and will straighten when pressure is applied to the buckled
area. As time passes, the toe can become permanently contracted and
rigid. Painful calluses on the bottom of the foot may accompany rigid
hammertoes because of increased pressure generated on the joint due to
the contracted toe.
Our goal is always to treat without surgery if at all possible. We are
able to provide conservative treatment for hammertoes in a majority of
cases. This can involve:
• Wearing supportive orthotics in shoes. This helps relieve pressure on
toe deformities and allows the toes and major joints of the foot to
function more appropriately.
• Wearing shoes with more room in the toe box.
• Splints or small straps to realign the toe.
• Trimming or padding corns and calluses.
Shoe
with a small toe box rubs on toe causing symptoms.
In certain cases, anti-inflammatory medications may be injected to
relieve pain and inflammation.
Conservative treatments do not straighten the toe or correct the
deformity. They can, however, relieve pain. In cases where conservative
treatment fails, the toes can be straightened surgically. Surgical
solutions are usually very effective, but to ensure the best outcomes,
it is important that you choose the right surgeon and that the surgeon
performs the appropriate procedure. For more information,
visit our
surgical solutions page.
Don’t live with toe pain. If you are
experiencing symptoms call
today for an appointment in our convenient Seattle office.
Home Treatment
of Hammertoes and Corns
Self Treatment Hints
If you are suffering from painful corns or hammertoes, there are many
treatments that a podiatrist can offer you. Make sure to see a
podiatrist as soon as possible. There are, however, some simple home
treatments for corns and hammertoes that you can do on your own. Here
are our self treatment solutions for hammertoes and corns. You can
purchase the recommended items by clicking on them:
Use a
Silicone Crest Pad. These pads go in the sulcus of your toes and
act to straighten your toes and act to straighten your toes while you
wear them. Soft Silicone Gel will not bottom out like foam and the
reinforced toe loop increases durability.
For corns on top of your toes, use a
Silopad Digtial Pad. This is a soft, comfortable and stretchable
slip-on device coated with Silipos® proprietary gel pad which releases a
high grade mineral oil onto the hard skin to help soften and remove
corns in a most comfortable way. This product is both washable and
reusable.
 Silopad
Digital Pad for hammer toes.
You can also use Felt Corn Pads for corns on the top of your toes. These
are great when wearing dress shoes or every day use when you want to
make sure you keep the pressure of the corn. These are non-medicated (no
acid) pads. When never suggest you use acid pads for corns. If you need
to reduce more pressure just double up the pads.
Felt
Corn Pad
For corns between the toes, you want to use a
Gel Toe Spreaders to prevent pressure. Gel Toe Spreaders help
relieve pain of overlapping toes/toe drift and painful bunions. Gel will
not flatten or lose its shape like foam. Washable and reusable.
Use the
Artimis Heel, callus and Corn Smoother to safely trim you corns.
pedicure appliance smooth corns and callouses and remove dry skin on
heels and toes in seconds, without the use of harsh chemicals or
dangerous blades.
For topical pain relief you can try
Tripod Labs Flexstat. Flexstat is a deep penetrating topical
pain reliever that provides quick, effective relief from pain.
Your podiatrist can offer you many more solutions for decreasing pain
from corns and hammertoes. If you are in the Puget Sound area, make an
appointment to see us in our Seattle office.
All pages on this website © 2005-2010
Douglas Hale, DPM & Lawrence Huppin, DPM
Foot and Ankle Center of Washington, Seattle
The material provided on this web site is for informative purposes only.
If you need specific medical advice, please contact the office for an appointment.
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