Stop! Hammer Toes.

Hammer Toes

Hammer toes are a contracture of the toe causing them to curl. This can be painful in shoe gear or when walking. Tight shoes can cause rubbing on the toes and the contractures may become painful over time. This can be caused by having a high arch, a low arch, tight shoes, or other deformities causing the toes to curl under.

Conservative Care

Conservative care for hammer toes includes padding, taping the toes and widder toe boxes for shoes. Patients may feel more comfortable in open toed shoes to avoid rubbing of the toes.  Toe separators can keep the toes from rubbing together or keep them from pressing against the next toe in the the case of bunions. Orthotics may also be helpful to balance the tendon structures.

Surgical Options

Hammer toe surgery may consit of: arthrodesis; fusing the joint at the bent knuckle to straighten the toe, arthroplasty; removing the knuckle at the bent area, tenotomy; rebalancing the tendons, skin plasty; planning the incision to derotate the toe. Surgery may include one or more of these procedures. Implants or pins may be used to secure the correction.

Recovery Time

Recovery time for hammer toe surgery varies with the procedure performed. It may require wearing  walking boot or post-op shoe for 4-6 weeks. Some hammer toe procedures may even be done in the clinical setting and only require 2 weeks for healing. Every patient and situation and procedure is diferent, please make sure to discuss the plan for recovry with your doctor before surgery.

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If you would like to be evaluated for hammer toes, plese call us today at 480-632-5757 or visit us online!