Can hammer toe be fixed without surgery?

Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle’s Non-Invasive Options for Hammer Toe Treatment

Hammer toe is a common condition that nevertheless can make tasks as simple as changing shoes unbearably painful. Most cases can be treated, but getting an early start is often key to avoiding surgery. Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle has spent decades helping people in Meridian, Caldwell, and throughout the Treasure Valley maintain happy and healthy feet. Learn how we diagnose and treat hammer toes—often without any need for a scalpel.

An Overview of Hammer Toe

A hammer toe is characterized by an unusual—and often painful—bend to the middle joint of a toe. Although this condition can affect any digit, it’s most often diagnosed in the second, third, and fourth toes, or those between the big toe and the pinky toe.

Causes For Hammer Toe Development

According to some reports, hammer toe and similar conditions—such as mallet toe—account for up to 20 percent of all podiatry-specific complaints reported each year. However, hammer toe doesn’t usually emerge without a reason. Instead, most cases are linked to one of the following risk factors:

Age

Genetics

Nerve disorders

Trauma or other injury to the affected toe

Preexisting health conditions, such as arthritis

Muscle and tendon imbalance due to foot structural changes

Hammer Toe Symptoms

Typical signs of this condition include:

Pain caused by wearing shoes

A noticeable bend in the joint

Difficulty moving the affected toe

Contracture or shortening of the toe

Swelling and redness around the joint

Corns or calluses between the affected toe and those adjacent to it

Although you might not always need an Idaho foot doctor to diagnose hammer toe, it doesn’t typically go away on its own. In some cases, not treating it can cause serious complications.

Medical professionals term this condition a progressive disorder, which means that if left untreated, it will gradually worsen. In its early stages, a hammer toe—a toe with an unusual bend—may still retain some flexibility. You might be able to bend it, move it, or flex it without any significant pain. However, over time, the tendons surrounding the affected toe can tighten, slowly reducing mobility and causing a bend that can only be corrected with surgery.

Possible Methods For Fixing Hammer Toe Without Surgery

Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle’s team of Caldwell and Meridian podiatrists has years of experience treating and correcting hammer toe—often without invasive procedures. Here are some of the treatment techniques we find helpful for many patients that might also work for you.

Footwear Changes

Tight, crowded, and cramped footwear not only causes hammer toe but also makes existing symptoms worse and, in some cases, leads to the development of additional complications.

But if your condition is diagnosed at an early stage, changing your shoes or using custom orthotics could help either resolve symptoms or reverse damage to the tendons.

Exercise

If your hammer toe has caused the affected tendons to weaken, our podiatrists may prescribe special exercises designed to stretch and strengthen them.

Padding and Taping

Even if you switch to less-restrictive footwear, the unusual protrusion caused by hammer toe could cause the joint to scrape the inside of your shoes—making the pain worse, and putting you at risk for corns and calluses. Padding and taping help alleviate these unpleasant symptoms and place the toe back into a more natural position.

Splinting

Splinting is a type of immobilization that puts the affected toe back into place while also stretching its muscles and tendons.

Steroid Injections

If your hammer toe doesn’t need surgery to heal but is still swollen, our doctors may prescribe steroid injections to reduce inflammation and ease other symptoms.

At Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle, we're committed to providing an exceptional patient experience that includes wide-ranging treatment options, innovative technologies, and, most importantly, clear and personable communication with doctors who listen and work with you to help you feel better. We strive to provide less invasive solutions so you’re back on your feet in no time.