Hammertoe and mallet toe are deformities that happens often among women who likes wearing high heels shoes that are built with a constricted toe box. This type of footwear forces the toes against the front part of the shoe that will cause an unnatural bending of the toes.
A hammer toe has an abnormal bend found in the middle joint of a toe and usually involves the joint near the toenail. It is important to note that both mallet toe and hammertoe manifests in the toe that is close to the big toe.
[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs5oLidGD0w” width=”220″]The ideal way to relieve the soreness and pressure of the hammertoe and mallet toe involves changing the footwear and wearing of shoe inserts. If the condition is severe, the person will undergo surgery to relieve the pain.
Symptoms
Hammertoe and mallet toe have an irregular curve in the joints in one or several of the toes and it is very painful and difficult to move. Corn and calluses can be caused from this condition. If you want to learn how to relieve the symptoms, click here.
Cause of the hammertoe and mallet toe
- A footwear that is too tight on the toe box and high-heeled shoes can cause crowding of toes into a space that is not large enough for them to position properly and this curled position of the toe will still persist even in barefoot.
- An injury caused by a stub, jam or break can develop into hammertoe or mallet toe.
- Hammertoe and mallet toe are common in people who have nerve damage on their feet and happens to those who have problems like stroke and diabetes.
Treatment
The toe is flexible thus it is recommended to change the footwear to those that offer more space and comfortable options and wear shoe inserts or pads.
Perform some exercises to strengthen and stretch the toe muscles like picking up marbles or a thin towel from the floor using the toes.
Wearing proper footwear to ease the foot pain, like low-heeled shoes with a deep toe box and have a flexible material that covers the toe can be helpful. There should be adequate space for the toes to help relieve the pain and pressure.
Avoiding over-the-counter corn-removal products that contain acid since these can cause severe irritation of the skin. Wounds on the foot can be easily infected, and these infections are difficult to treat especially if the person has diabetes and has poor circulation.
Prevention
- Avoiding shoes with pointed toes.
- Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes; it will help a person avoid back problems.
- When a person buys a shoe, it is better to buy shoes at the end of the day, because feet are smaller in the morning and swell throughout the day.
- As the person ages, the shoe size may change like in the width, measure both feet and buy the larger foot.