Maybe you were looking at your feet and you noticed that there is a corn on the top of one of your toes. Or maybe you notice that one of your toes doesn’t seem to lie flat. In fact, maybe it hurts to get the toe to go flat. Or maybe it doesn’t hurt but it won’t go flat without you flattening it.
Sounds like you might have a hammer toe.
How did I get a hammer toe?
A hammer toe is most likely formed from wearing shoes that do not fit properly. When shoes do not have enough room for your toes, your toes can be crowed into a space that is too small. When this happens your toes will curl rather than lie flat.
Hammer toes can also be formed because of the structure of your foot. Heredity can play a part in many foot maladies. So, if your Mother was prone to have hammer toes then you may have the same foot structure and can be prone to hammer toes.
An injury to your toes can also cause hammer toe. If you severely jam (OUCH!) your toe or break it, a hammer toe can develop.
Diabetic neuropathy can also cause a hammer toe to form.
Are there types of hammer toes?
Yes, there are two types of hammer toes. The first type is the flexible joint hammer toe. As the name implies, with a flexible joint hammer toe, you can move your toe to straighten it out and there is not any pain. In fact, you probably don’t have any pain and noticed the problem from looking at it rather than feeling it. The second type of hammer toe is the rigid joint hammer toe. As you may have guessed, the rigid joint hammer toe will not move and may cause pain. This type of hammer toe can even affect the way that you walk by putting extra stress on the ball of your foot.
What do I do if I notice what looks like a hammer toe?
If you see something that doesn’t seem quite right with your foot, I suggest that you go see your friendly local podiatrist and have the doctor check it out. The doctor will first look at your foot and ask you some questions. Then is it very possible that the doctor will have the foot x-rayed. You will then be able to see the problem.
What happens if I do have a hammer toe?
There is a range of treatments that you can discuss with your friendly local podiatrist. First and foremost, you will need to wear shoes that fit correctly and allow your toes to have plenty of room. Depending on the severity of your hammer toe, you may be given exercises to do to increase the flexibility of your toe. The doctor might also suggest an insert or pad to help you. You will be able to discuss treatment options with the doctor and find all the possibilities that will help you the most.
Regarding the corn that might have formed on your toe
I urge you not to try and treat the corn on your own. Especially if you are contemplating using an over the counter treatment that involves shaving the corn. It is easy to use these types of treatments and end up with an infection from the break in your skin. Please work with the doctor to safely remove the corn. (Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just repeat the words “Corn be gone” three times and it would go away? Sadly, it doesn’t work that way.)
Thanks for checking in with us about hammer toes. Hopefully, you will have your toe straightened out quickly and easily.
Your Pal,
The Foot Blogger Chick
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