Hammertoe Deformity: 5 Benefits of Early Conservative Care

Hammertoes occur when there’s an abnormal bend in the middle joint of the toe. While the issue may seem to be in the toe joint, the abnormal bend is most commonly caused by a biomechanical issue that can start in your back, hips, hamstrings, or calves, causing you to walk in a way that makes your joints stiff.

As a consequence, surgery for hammertoe, although necessary for some patients, is not the ultimate solution for hammertoes. Fixing the underlying cause is what prevents the deformity from causing you any further issues.

Here to help you out, our experts at Ledesma Foot and Ankle share five benefits of early conservative care to hopefully convince you to seek expert advice as soon as possible and prevent complications.

1. Pain relief

Reducing the pressure on your toe joints can alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with hammertoes. For this, our experts may recommend padding and customized orthotics to prevent your feet from flattening out when you walk and alleviate tightness in your joints.

2. Halting the progression of hammertoes

In severe cases, you may lose your ability to flex your toes. Stretching not only the toes but also the calf muscles can prevent the toe from becoming rigid.

3. Improved mobility and function

A personalized treatment based on an accurate diagnosis that encompasses all the possible causes of your hammertoes can improve your mobility and function. The diagnosis process includes an X-ray to determine how damaged your joints are and a comprehensive clinical exam looking at your gait, posture, back, hip, and calf muscles and their functions.

Based on what’s causing you to walk in a way that causes stiffness in your toes, our provider will most likely recommend physical therapy.

4. Avoiding surgery

In many cases, surgery can be avoided if the pain isn’t severe and the joint isn’t arthritic. Unfortunately, with surgery, while your toes will improve in appearance and pain levels, they may become completely rigid if the surgeon places a pin during the procedure to hold the toe in its new shape.

5. Budget-friendly

Early conservative care, including custom orthotics, better-fitting shoes, and physical therapy, is more cost-effective. With surgical treatments, you have to account for missed work days and other costs associated with the procedure and recovery.

Get help treating the underlying cause of your hammertoes

While surgery is the only option for some people, and it can indeed improve quality of life, without fixing the underlying biomechanics that caused your hammertoe in the first place, your condition will continue to worsen.

If your hammertoes are causing you distress, call us to schedule an appointment to get better as soon as possible.