What is Hammer Toe?
Hammer toe results from an imbalance in the muscles and tendons that hold the toe straight. It gets its name because the bending of the middle joint of the toe resembles the shape of a hammer. This usually happens in the second, third and fourth toes.
If the toe is bent for prolonged periods of time, muscles compress and tighten, and are unable to straighten out. Some symptoms of hammer toe you may experience include:
- Toe pain
- Corns and calluses on the affected joints of the toe
- Swelling and redness
- Burning sensation
- Sores on the affected toe
Hammer toe is frequently caused by ill-fitting shoes, or trauma or injury to the foot.
Meet the team of experts who specialize in hammer toe treatment
How to Treat Hammer Toe
Hammer toe can often be treated with non-surgical methods to stretch, strengthen and improve the toe muscles. Our orthopaedic specialists may suggest the following changes in lifestyle and conservative therapies to improve hammer toe:
- Changing your footwear: Avoid wearing shoes that are narrow, tight or have a high heel. We recommend shoes that are wider, soft and have plenty of room in the toe area.
- Getting custom orthotics (shoe inserts): Custom shoe inserts that support and strengthen muscles in the foot can help alleviate pain caused by hammer toe.
- Doing physical therapy: Stretching the affected toe throughout the day can sometimes make a huge difference.
- Taking anti-inflammatory medication: Sometimes we recommend taking anti-inflammatory medications to help relieve pain and swelling.
- Getting a corticosteroid injection into the joints of the toe joint
- Buying and using over-the-counter corn pads: Corn pads relieve pressure and irritation caused by friction when wearing shoes.
Hammer Toe Surgery
For patients still experiencing discomfort after conservative management, surgery may be an option to ensure relief from hammer toe pain. We perform hammer toe surgery using local anesthesia. For some patients the surgery may be minimally invasive, involving small incisions in the affected toe, allowing patients to go home the same day, experience a quicker recovery, and have a lower risk of side effects and complications.
The actual type of surgery you undergo will depend on the severity of your condition. We may suggest one or more of the following procedures to correct hammer toe:
- Arthroplasty: We remove part of the joint under the affected toe to help the toe straighten.
- Arthrodesis: We remove the entire joint in the toe and insert special hardware to aid healing.
- Basal phalangectomy: We remove the base of the bone underneath the affected toe.
- Weil osteotomy: We shorten the metatarsal bone and insert surgical hardware.
Hammer Toe Surgery Recovery
After surgery, you may need a cast or boot to help protect the toe. You will be able to bear weight on your foot while wearing a boot or hard sole shoes immediately after surgery. About 3 to 4 weeks later you may be able to return to wearing loose, comfortable shoes such as sneakers.
To help your toe heal and get back to normal, it’s important that you rest. Physical therapy is needed on a case by case basis. Penn physical therapists create personalized recovery plans depending upon the severity of your condition.
Recovery from hammer toe surgery is different for everyone, taking anywhere from several weeks to months. You should speak to your doctor about what recovery might look like for your particular condition.