Hammertoes are an abnormal bending of your toes that when at its most severe, can cause you to no longer be able to straighten your toe. When the pain is no longer tolerable and hammertoe is causing you to avoid wearing certain shoes because of discomfort and affecting your everyday functioning, surgery may the only option. Dr. Charlotte Reisinger and Dr. Dusky Farmer of Reisinger Farmer Podiatry can help to manage the condition of hammertoes in Evansville, IN.
What is hammertoe and what are some symptoms?
Hammertoe is caused by a contracture of the joint of the toe. This can happen in one toe or multiple toes at the same time. A contracture is a permanent shortening of the surrounding structures of a joint, such as ligaments and tendons. The podiatrists at Reisinger Farmer Podiatry treat hammertoes in Evansville, IN frequently, as it is a common condition that occurs more in females.
Before surgery is necessary, there are things that you can do to stop the condition from worsening. These include the following:
- Be careful in your choice of footwear. Choosing shoes that are roomy in the toe area will help comfort and prevent developing callouses and corns on your toes.
- Stretching and strengthening exercises to keep the toes as flexible as possible will help tremendously. Performing these exercises consistently and frequently will prevent the structures of the toe joints from shortening into abnormal positions.
- Wearing a splint overnight may be helpful as well, keeping your toes in a stretched and lengthened position for the hours that you are asleep.
When should I consider surgery for hammertoe?
When hammertoes become so severe that they are completely immobile and causing unbearable pain and dysfunction, it is most likely time for surgical intervention. If left untreated, hammertoes may progress to the point where they are permanently shortened and surgery is the only option to fix this. When the toe gets to this point, conservative measures will not work to fix hammertoes.
We try to avoid recommending surgery, but when it is needed, you will be glad that you chose to have it. Surgical intervention for hammertoes will ease your pain tremendously and restore your foot to proper anatomical positioning so that a physical deformity of the foot is no longer present.
Contact us for more information
Before your hammertoes have progressed to a point that significant deformity is present and it is impairing your ability to perform everyday activities, hopefully, you take action. You should not live with this pain. Dr. Reisinger and Dr. Farmer of Reisinger Farmer Podiatry want to ease your pain and discomfort caused by hammertoes in Evansville, IN. Schedule a consultation with us by calling (812) 421-8555.