Your footwear plays a very important role in your life. Just because you hide your feet away in winter boots all season long doesn’t mean that your feet are free of problems. Those same tight boots that fit you out in style may also result in hammertoes, which can lead to enormous toe pain.
When your toes are forced together in a tight space they can bend up at the middle joint, resembling a hammer or a mallet. This deformity may either be classified as “flexible” or “stiff.” Flexible hammertoe is more easily treated, because it means that your toe can still lay flat (just not on its own). You can use padding, taping, and splinting to help a flexible hammertoe become normal again. Stiff hammertoe means that your toe is completely stuck in that bent position, and conservative treatments will not usually help.
Surgery is not the first option for hammertoes, but it may benefit you where conservative treatments won’t. If you have a serious case of stiff hammertoe, where you feel immense pain every time you put on shoes, you may need surgery. This type of procedure is done on an outpatient basis and usually takes very little time. There are different techniques that may be used:
- Tendon transfers are usually done with flexible hammertoe and involve rerouting tendons from one end of the toe to the other.
- Joint resection is an option for stiff hammertoe where part of the bone is removed and pins are used to help hold the toe straight.
- Fusion is also for stiff cases where the tendons are cut and the bones are fused and held together with pins.
No matter your situation, together we can figure out the best course of action for your unique feet. Call Dr. Peyman Elison and Dr. Viedra Elison today at (623) 584-5556 to make your appointment at Fixing Feet Institute in Surprise, AZ.
Photo Credit: byrev via Pixabay.com
