Diagnosing and Treating Hammer Toes

Hammer Toe refers to a deformity where the second, third, or fourth toe becomes unnaturally bent downwards. Hammer Toes are often treatable with conservative methods, but may become more serious and require surgery if ignored. Kesler Podiatry offers quality and effective hammer toes treatment to patients in Wayne as well as Pompton Lakes, Franklin Lakes, Oakland, NJ, Wyckoff, Fair Lawn, Midland Park, North Haledon, West Caldwell, and Paterson.

Symptoms of Hammer Toes

The clearest symptom is seeing the toes curling downwards, which may not require treatment as long as no pain is present. However, hammer toes can cause pain when wearing shoes, corns on the tops of the toes, swollen toe joints, pain at the ball of the foot under the bent toe, and difficulty or pain when moving the toe joint. Even if no pain is present, make an appointment if you think you have a hammer toe because conservative treatment is more effective when begun as early as possible.

Treating Hammer Toe Without Surgery

Conservative treatment for hammer toes includes wearing shoes with a wide toe-box (at least half an inch of space between your longest toe and the edge of the shoe), avoiding high heels, gentle massage, ice, anti-inflammatory medication, exercises to restore muscle balance, splinting, or hammertoe pads to reduce pressure. Sometimes, a cortisone injection is prescribed to reduce swelling and pain. Custom orthotics can also prove effective.

Hammer Toe Surgery

If conservative treatment options do not yield results, surgery is an option. There are a variety of surgeries to treat hammertoe – the simplest method is to remove a small piece of bone at the joint and re-align the toe bone, but more severe hammertoes might require a more complex solution. We offer surgical and non-surgical treatment options to our friends and neighbors in in Wayne, Pompton Lakes, Franklin Lakes, Oakland, NJ, Wyckoff, Fair Lawn, Midland Park, North Haledon, West Caldwell, and Paterson.