Overview

A hammer toe can be defined as a condition that causes your toe to bend downward instead of pointing forward. While it can occur on any toe on your foot, it usually affects the second or third toe. If your baby toe curls instead of buckling, it is also considered a hammer toe. There are two types of hammer toes. If your toes still can move around at the joint, then it is considered a flexible hammer toe. It is a milder form of the condition and there are more treatment options. The other type is called a rigid Hammer toe, which occurs when the tendons in your toe become so rigid that they push your toe joint out of alignment, and it cannot move at all. Typically, you will need surgery to fix it.

Causes

If a foot is flat (pes planus, pronated), the flexor muscles on the bottom of the foot can overpower the others because a flatfoot is longer than a foot with a normal arch. When the foot flattens and lengthens, greater than normal tension is exerted on the flexor muscles in the toes. The toes are not strong enough to resist this tension and they may be overpowered, resulting in a contracture of the toe, or a bending down of the toe at the first toe joint (the proximal interphalangeal joint) which results in a hammertoe. If a foot has a high arch (pes cavus, supinated), the extensor muscles on the top of the foot can overpower the muscles on the bottom of the foot because the high arch weakens the flexor muscles. This allows the extensor muscles to exert greater than normal tension on the toes. The toes are not strong enough to resist this tension and they may be overpowered, resulting in a contracture of the toe, or a bending down of the toe at the first toe joint (the proximal interphalangeal joint) which results in a hammertoe.

Symptoms

Hammertoe and mallet toe feature an abnormal bend in the joints of one or more of your toes. Moving the affected toe may be difficult or painful. Corns and calluses can result from the toe rubbing against the inside of your shoes. See your doctor if you have persistent foot pain that affects your ability to walk properly.

Diagnosis

A hammertoe is usually diagnosed with a physical inspection of your toe. Imaging tests, such as X-rays, may be ordered if you have had a bone, muscle, or ligament injury in your toe.

Non Surgical Treatment

Hammer toes may be effectively corrected in different ways. Treatments can be non-invasive and involve physical therapy along with the advice that the person not wear any more shoes that restrict appropriate space for their toes. Appropriate shoes for people who want to avoid hammer toes, or hammertoe for people who already have them, should be at least half an inch longer than the person’s longest toe. High-heeled shoes are something to definitely avoid.

Surgical Treatment

As previously mentioned it?s best to catch this problem early; hammer toe taping is relatively harmless and simple. Long term complications can cause foot deformities and even difficulty walking. It?s always best to stiff shoes and high heel, especially if you?re working on hammer toe recovery. Pick comfortable shoes with plenty of toe space. Prevention is the best cure here as this injury is nearly always self inflicted.

The Italians had their own idea of the high heel of mounted shoes on a 15-30cm cylinder in which they used sticks to lean on so they were able to walk. Around the 1430’s in Venice they were prohibited. But the high heel had made a name for it’s self and it wasn’t going anywhere. The lovely Catherine of Medici, wore them to increase her height and soon became a fashion. Now that we have seen exercises for the legs and buttocks, let’s see exercises, which can be made a part of the workout routine for arms. These exercises definitely become a part of the routines for men.

During pregnancy, women have to take care of their physical health. The posture of the body is altered and the lady has to carry herself safely. Maintaining body balance while walking with high heels during pregnancy is not possible. The ligaments that control the lower back and the muscles around are softened and stretched because of an increased ovarian. These already weakened ligaments are at a higher risk of getting damaged due to high-heeled shoes because it alters your posture putting extra strain on them. Therefore flat shoes are a better option during pregnancy because it will keep you comfortable avoiding complications and dangerous consequences.

Toe socks for women have been around in America since the 1970s, but have recently gained new popularity. Part of their appeal is the bold colors and designs that they often have. Many women like them for something different and fun to wear. Pink, orange, rainbow stripes, and checkers. Just about any design and color you could think of is available. Of course they are also available in normal co read more Women’s peep toe shoes are never out of style. In fact, season after season and year after year these shoes are always seen to top the charts when it comes to footwear fashion. read more

There are two arches in the foot. One runs across the foot on the bottom at the joints where the toes join the foot. The other is at right angles to the first and runs from the heel to the base of the first toe. These arches are supported by ligaments and muscles. There is not much you can do to strengthen ligaments, but exercising the muscles that support the arch are an important method to relieve your foot pain. In rare cases, all of the toes are affected. This may be caused by a problem with the nerves or spinal cord. Symptoms

At the start of the deformity, it is generally mobile which means that the toe can be straightened. However, with time, the joint become rigid or fixed. This can then affect the joint at the ball of the foot and, in severe cases, the joint capsule ruptures (tears) so that the joint becomes dislocated and the toe sits up in the air. There are a variety of treatment options for hammertoe. The treatment your podiatric foot and ankle surgeon selects will depend upon the severity of your hammertoe and other factors.