Strong, aligned toes create a sturdy foundation for knees, hips and back. They also play an important sensory role for balance. Sometimes, however, toes become weak and bend out of shape, which can lead to a multitude of foot health issues.
Toes are meant to lay flat against the ground and stay flexible enough to wiggle and spread freely. This allows them to help you balance and push off the ground when you step. Problems like claw toe, which stiffen and curl your digits, can make it uncomfortable and difficult to wear shoes and walk normally.
The bottom line
Crooked toes aren't just a cosmetic problem. They can cause foot pain, and they can lead to dangerous complications if you have diabetes, numbness in your feet or circulatory problems. Talk to your health care provider or a podiatrist to learn how to take care of your crooked toes.
If one or more of your toes are crooked or curled under, you may have hammer, mallet, or claw toe. Your foot has a strange shape because the muscles, tendons, or ligaments that surround your toe aren't balanced. This causes the toes to bend in an odd position.
The condition may be congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life. Curled toes may be caused simply by wearing shoes that are too tight for too long.
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.
Healthy toes are straight, evenly spaced, and free of the many problems that plague so many people in shod, or shoe-wearing, populations. Most conventional footwear, including running shoes, possesses tapering toe boxes that force the toes into a wedge-like position.
Toe socks separate the toes and encourage proper balance, stability, posture, and toe dexterity. Performing key foot and toe exercises is also important for straightening crooked toes. The toe extensor stretch and the hammertoe stretch are two of the most helpful exercises in achieving this goal.
It's estimated that over 20% of the US population suffers from toe deformities or “crooked” toes. There are many types of crooked toes including hammertoe, mallet toe, and claw toe. Additionally, toes may be pushed sideways, overlapping with the next toe, or they might rotate from their original position.
Our feet are designed to have toes that are slightly spread apart, and lay straight on the ground. This helps us be more efficient in our balance and stride. However, modern shoe wear causes the foot's natural shape to change over time. The narrow toebox squeezes the toes together.
Egyptian, Greek or square
It is the most common foot type, occurring in 50.8% of the population. The Greek foot, which is characterized by a 2ᵉ toe that is larger than the others. It is found in 40.2% of the population. The square foot or Roman foot where the first 4 toes are aligned.
Curly toe, is a condition which involves the toe bending down and sideways into a curled shape. It is a common deformity which is typically bilateral and mostly affects the fourth toe. Curly toe, which develops over time, can grow to be uncomfortable when the 4th toe curls under the 3rd.
Meaning of toe-curling in English
making you feel extremely embarrassed and ashamed for someone else: I saw the worst comedy act I've ever seen last night - it was absolutely toe-curling!
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.
Physical therapy – Stretching and strengthening exercises can be a great first line of defense to help reverse the muscle imbalance that causes a hammertoe. Footwear modifications – Any shoes that force one or more toes into a bent position must be avoided. This includes tight, narrow shoes and most high heels.
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.
A perfectly healthy foot is flesh toned in color and has little to no 'thick', callused skin, McArthur reveals.
The most obvious sign your foot is aging is its changing size and shape, says Williams. Over time, the body's ligaments and tendons lose their strength and ability to spring back. In feet, this manifests as a decrease or ''falling'' of the arch, which flattens and lengthens the foot and toes.
If your toenails are yellowish or have ridges or pits, it could indicate an underlying health condition such as a fungal infection or psoriasis. Nail beds with discoloration can be an indicator of a few different health conditions, depending on the specific pattern and distribution of the color: Terry's nails.
Wearing pads, arch supports or other shoe inserts to cushion the toe. Strengthening and stretching toe muscles through exercises. A splint or tape to hold your toes where they're supposed to be. Avoid high heels.
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.
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.
A hammertoe is a joint on your toe that points up instead of lying flat. This deformity happens because muscles in your foot or leg get weak and the tendons to your toe pull abnormally. You might find that you also have a corn or callus on top of your deformed toe, which may be painful.
Many older people develop hammertoes, meaning their toes permanently bend. Not only is this permanent bending painful, it can cause corns and calluses to develop where the toes rub together. These problems can usually be addressed by wearing shoes with plenty of room, but in some cases, surgery may be needed.