Treating Your Hammertoes
- posted: Apr. 30, 2024
At Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates, our podiatrists, Dr. Ryan Kemp, Dr. Kerry Anderson, and Dr. Boyd Andrews provide solutions to patients suffering from podiatric conditions like hammertoes in the Boise, Nampa, and Meridian, ID, areas.
What Are Hammertoes?
Hammertoe, also called claw toe or retracted toe, is a condition that usually affects the second toe of the foot. It is a deformity of the toes when one or more of the toes are permanently bent at the middle joint. This joint is called the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint.
Hammertoes are caused by muscular imbalances between the paired muscles that help the toes bend. This muscular imbalance puts pressure on the joints and tendons. If this happens for extended periods, the joints lock up and can no longer stretch out.
People who may experience hammertoes tend to wear tight-fitting shoes and/or high heels. These patients also tend to have bunions and high arches.
If children wear shoes they have grown out of, they may also start to develop the symptoms of hammertoes.
What Are the Symptoms of Hammertoes?
The symptoms of hammertoes are fairly straightforward and include:
- Redness and swelling
- Difficulty straightening your toes or permanently bent toes.
- Difficulty walking
- Difficulty wearing certain types of shoes.
- Corns or calluses where your shoe rubs the joint of the toe.
How Do You Treat Hammertoes?
The good news is that our experienced podiatrists, Dr. Kemp, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. Andrews at Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates, are vastly experienced in identifying and successfully treating the hammertoes of patients in Boise, Nampa, and Meridian, ID.
If your toe joint is still moveable, then treatment is conservative. This includes wearing shoes that fit better, possibly with orthotic inserts, so your shoes provide the correct support and don’t chafe the joint. Other orthotic devices you can use include hammertoes regulators or straighteners.
Your podiatrist may prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine to reduce swelling and recommend physical therapy. There will also be exercises, such as toe curls, that you can do at home to rebalance the muscles.
If the toe joint is already rigid, and you can’t move your toe out of its bent position, corrective surgery may be necessary. Surgical options include tendon transfer, tendon lengthening, and/or joint fusion. Surgery will require 4 to 6 weeks of recovery time with limited movement so that you can heal.
Contact Us
For hammertoes treatment in Boise, Nampa, and Meridian, ID, look no further than Dr. Kemp, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. Andrews at Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates. To find out more or book an appointment, call us now at (208) 327-0627 (Boise), (208) 463-1660 (Nampa), or (208) 888-9876 (Meridian).
- posted: Apr. 30, 2024
At Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates, our podiatrists, Dr. Ryan Kemp, Dr. Kerry Anderson, and Dr. Boyd Andrews provide solutions to patients suffering from podiatric conditions like hammertoes in the Boise, Nampa, and Meridian, ID, areas.
What Are Hammertoes?
Hammertoe, also called claw toe or retracted toe, is a condition that usually affects the second toe of the foot. It is a deformity of the toes when one or more of the toes are permanently bent at the middle joint. This joint is called the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint.
Hammertoes are caused by muscular imbalances between the paired muscles that help the toes bend. This muscular imbalance puts pressure on the joints and tendons. If this happens for extended periods, the joints lock up and can no longer stretch out.
People who may experience hammertoes tend to wear tight-fitting shoes and/or high heels. These patients also tend to have bunions and high arches.
If children wear shoes they have grown out of, they may also start to develop the symptoms of hammertoes.
What Are the Symptoms of Hammertoes?
The symptoms of hammertoes are fairly straightforward and include:
- Redness and swelling
- Difficulty straightening your toes or permanently bent toes.
- Difficulty walking
- Difficulty wearing certain types of shoes.
- Corns or calluses where your shoe rubs the joint of the toe.
How Do You Treat Hammertoes?
The good news is that our experienced podiatrists, Dr. Kemp, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. Andrews at Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates, are vastly experienced in identifying and successfully treating the hammertoes of patients in Boise, Nampa, and Meridian, ID.
If your toe joint is still moveable, then treatment is conservative. This includes wearing shoes that fit better, possibly with orthotic inserts, so your shoes provide the correct support and don’t chafe the joint. Other orthotic devices you can use include hammertoes regulators or straighteners.
Your podiatrist may prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine to reduce swelling and recommend physical therapy. There will also be exercises, such as toe curls, that you can do at home to rebalance the muscles.
If the toe joint is already rigid, and you can’t move your toe out of its bent position, corrective surgery may be necessary. Surgical options include tendon transfer, tendon lengthening, and/or joint fusion. Surgery will require 4 to 6 weeks of recovery time with limited movement so that you can heal.
Contact Us
For hammertoes treatment in Boise, Nampa, and Meridian, ID, look no further than Dr. Kemp, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. Andrews at Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates. To find out more or book an appointment, call us now at (208) 327-0627 (Boise), (208) 463-1660 (Nampa), or (208) 888-9876 (Meridian).