A hammer toe is a deformity that causes your toes to bend or curl downward instead of pointing forward. It most often affects the second or third toe, in some cases, all the toes.
What causes a hammer toe?
It usually develops over time due wearing ill-fitting shoes with no support, such as tight, pointed, or high heels. In most cases, a hammer toe condition is treatable.
Your toe contains two joints that allow it to bend at the middle and bottom. A hammer toe occurs when the middle joint becomes flexed or bent downward due to either……….
* Your body trying to regain balance (get a grip) after a collapse of your transverse arch (ball of the foot) hence the curling of the toes.
*A traumatic toe injury
*Arthritis
*An unusually high foot arch
*Tightened ligaments or tendons in the foot
*Pressure from a bunion, which is when your big toe points inward toward your second toe
*Spinal cord or peripheral nerve damage may cause all of your toes to curl downward.
Signs and symptoms –
* toe’s that curl downward
*Corns, bunions or calluses putting pressure on toes.
*Difficulty walking, loss of balance.
*Inability to flex your foot or wiggle your toes
*Claw-like toes
How is a hammer toe treated?
The severity of your condition determines the treatment options for hammer toe.
You can correct a hammer toe caused by inappropriate footwear by wearing properly fitting shoes with our supportive orthotics. Our orthotics work by lifting your collapsed transverse arch which allows your toes to take the normal position & taking weight off the ball of the foot relieves pain and corrects the appearance of your toes reducing the risk of calcification and fused toes after long term misalignment. The only way to correct fused toes is by invasive painful surgery. I want to help you avoid this by treating the cause.
Gently stretching your toes daily can also help compliment the orthotics by relieving pain, breaking down any calcification and repositioning the affected toes.
How can I avoid getting a hammer toe?
Getting custom fitted for Orthotics that take your weight off the ball of the foot relaxing the toes. Not all orthotics are suitable. See below.
Wear properly fitting shoes.
If you wear high heels, the heel height should be 2 inches or less. Wearing shoes with high heels increases the pressure on your toes and causes them to bend. It can also cause the formation of corns and a high arch.
I offer a FREE foot & Postural Alignment assessment valued at $95 and a custom fitting of what I believe to be the best flexing corrective orthotics on the market. Book an appointment today and feel instant relief.