If you have crooked toes, you can treat them with pads that help straighten out the toes and by wearing shoes that give your toes lots of space in the toe box. You can get special shoes prescribed if you need to. “In cases where these treatments do not work, there are several surgical options,” Dr. Rottman said.
Surgical management
This involves realigning the toe to a better position. Depending on the presentation this can be achieved by a tendon transfer, removing a section of the bone (arthroplasty) or pinning the toe in a straight position (arthrodesis).
If a shoe forces a toe to stay in a bent position for too long, the muscles tighten and the tendons shorten, or contract. This makes it harder to straighten the toe. Over time, the toe muscles can't straighten the toe, even when you aren't wearing shoes. These toe problems form over years and are common in adults.
The root cause of curling toes that won't unfurl—whether they be hammertoes, mallet toes, or claw toes—is a muscle imbalance in your digits. When the muscle responsible for straightening your toes becomes too weak to work against its partner, the digit becomes “stuck,” first flexibly, but eventually rigidly.
Towel Toe Curls
This exercise might help straighten out your hammertoe by working your extensor muscles. Place a towel on the floor. In a sitting position, place your feet flat on the floor. Curl your toes and try to scrunch up the towel.
How can I treat my crooked toes? If you have crooked toes, you can treat them with pads that help straighten out the toes and by wearing shoes that give your toes lots of space in the toe box. You can get special shoes prescribed if you need to.
Arthroplasty Defined. Arthroplasty is one of the most common podiatric surgeries. In this procedure, the podiatrist removes a tiny piece of the bone from your misshapen joint, making your toe straight by removing the buckling effect.
For most people, the answer is no, you don't. They are very helpful to those with bunions to help realign feet damaged by shoes and/or gait, but if your toes are straight already then you will get a lesser degree of benefit.
Reversal of moderate issues of malfomed toes may take 1-8 years, depending on your approach. If you wait until your problems are more severe then it will likely take longer, and extreme cases may even require surgery. And please remember: we're shoemakers, not doctors.
If you're toes appear crooked, have knuckles that budge enough to form corns, or a toe that doesn't rest flat on the ground, you may have hammertoe. Fortunately, it's a reversible condition. Treatment can be as simple as moving into roomier, flat bottomed, shoes that are square at the toe rather than pointed.
Older toes have a propensity toward curling into "claw toes" because of muscle imbalance. And older people — especially older women — are prone to developing bunions, a misalignment of the bones in the big toe that causes the end of the metatarsal bone at the base of the toe to angle out.
Effective non-surgical treatment of hammertoes is usually possible as long as the bent, raised joint in your toe remains flexible. If you use your fingers to lay your toe flat in a normal position, there's a great chance that you still have time to avoid surgery.
On MDsave, the cost of a Hammertoe Surgery ranges from $3,353 to $11,536. Those on high deductible health plans or without insurance can shop, compare prices and save. Read more about how MDsave works.
The Hammertoes curve at the middle joint, forcing the toe down. They may be followed by plates. Claw toes usually affect multiple toes at once, curving around the joint where the toes meet the foot. The claw toes are pointed back at the first joint, then flat at the middle joint.
The type of surgery performed will depend on the problem with your toes and may involve releasing or lengthening tendons, putting joints back into place, straightening a toe and changing the shape of a bone. Your surgeon may fix the toes in place with wires or tiny screws.
Toes can curl gradually over time due to faulty mechanics, pressure from poorly-fitting shoes, diabetes, or injury. That's when you've got a toe deformity that may need a doctor's care.
A hammertoe is curled due to a bend in the middle joint of the toe. Hammertoe and mallet toe are foot problems that cause a bend in a toe or toes. Wearing shoes that don't fit well can cause hammertoe and mallet toe. Other causes are foot injury and certain illnesses, such as diabetes.
Claw toes, as the name implies, are toes bent into an abnormal claw-like shape. The condition usually happens to the four smaller toes of your foot and it's the middle and end joints (the joints furthest away from your ankle) that buckle.
Toe spacers or toe separators are usually made from gel, and come in options that can either be worn all day, or for a short period of time. Used properly, they can help spread your toes out to a more natural and comfortable distance, and can help prevent or even reverse damage to your feet.
Start with 30 minutes a day and work your way up, gradually increasing wear time by 30 minutes per day and progressively engaging in weight-bearing activities like walking, running, hiking, yoga, or hitting the gym.
“I recommend toe separators to almost all my patients,” says podiatrist Emily Splichal, DPM. “I find that they're a great way to stretch the small muscles around the toes as well as the toes themselves.” These Are the Best Walking Shoes To Wear if You Have Plantar...
Keeping your toes splayed at night can encourage optimal foot blood flow, which means that blood can get into and out of your foot more easily, helping to wash away harmful metabolic byproducts that can accumulate over time and contribute to problems such as plantar fasciosis.