Healthy, smoothly functioning toe joints usually work so easily and efficiently that taking them for granted is easy. If your toes start bending strangely or become rigid and immobile, you might have a common condition called hammertoes.
Early-stage, flexible hammertoes can develop into being rigid and nearly impossible to move, so early treatment with double board-certified podiatrist Thomas Rambacher, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, at Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle, in Mission Viejo, California, is important to maintain your mobility and avoid surgery. Try these 5 conservative methods to treat your hammertoes.
When the ligaments and muscles of your toe joints stop working properly, you can develop hammertoes. Without muscles and ligaments correctly supporting your toe joint, moving them correctly is hard, resulting in hypermobile or overly stiff, locking toe joints.
You can get hammertoes in one or multiple toes, in the first joint of each toe. Hammertoes can develop due to unsupportive or ill-fitting footwear, foot structural issues, chronic conditions like arthritis, and genetics.
If your hammertoes are still flexible, conservative treatments can improve your quality of life and keep your hammertoes from worsening. Our team often recommends these five nonsurgical treatments for hammertoes.
The wrong shoes can irritate your hammertoes and make them worse. Choosing flat, supportive shoes with a wide toe box increases your comfort levels.
Avoid shoes with high heels or narrow or pinch the toe area.
Medical grade custom orthotics are custom-made shoe inserts you place in your shoes that redistribute how your foot carries weight. Our team orders custom-made inserts that take weight and pressure off your toes, while also addressing any other structural issues present in your foot.
You’re more likely to develop corns and calluses if you have hammertoes. Wearing padding around any lumps on your feet takes any pressure off them and facilitates a faster healing process.
Additionally, taping your toes binds them together, immobilizing them and preventing them from moving around. This also helps prevent your toes from becoming rigid in the future.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen, reduce swelling in your toes and relieve pain. These medications are available over-the-counter. Our team can assist you with determining the right dosage.
Certain toe and foot exercises and stretches can help your toes stay in the proper position and help relieve discomfort. We can teach you techniques or provide a referral to physical therapy.
Dr. Rambacher usually recommends trying conservative measures first to treat flexible hammertoes. However, he might recommend minimally invasive surgery if you also have open sores on your toes that won’t heal or a condition like diabetes that increases your risk.
Conservative hammertoe treatment is only successful when your hammertoes are still flexible. Once your hammertoes have become rigid, minimally invasive surgery is the best way to correct them.
Flexible hammertoes can cause pain and discomfort, but the right conservative treatment plan can help you regain pain-free mobility without surgery. Contact us to schedule a hammertoe treatment appointment.
