Hammer toe:

What Is A Hammer Toe?

A hammer toe is a deformity that makes your toe twist or twist descending as opposed to pointing forward. This deformity can influence any toe on your foot. It frequently influences the second or third toe. Albeit a hammer toe might be available upon entering the world, it for the most part creates after some time because of arthritis or wearing sick fitting shoes, for example, close, pointed heels. Much of the time, a hammer toe condition is treatable.

What Causes A Hammer Toe To Occur?

Your toe contains two joints that permit it to twist at the center and base. A hammer toe happens when the center joint gets flexed or bowed descending.

Normal reasons for this include:

• a traumatic toe injury
• arthritis
• a surprisingly high foot curve
• wearing shoes that don't fit appropriately
• fixed tendons or ligaments in the foot
• pressure from a bunion, which is the point at which your large toe directs internal to your subsequent toe
• Spinal cord or fringe nerve harm may make the entirety of your toes twist descending.

Mild And Severe Symptoms Of Hammer Toe

A hammer toe causes you uneasiness when you walk. It can likewise cause you pain when you attempt to stretch or move the influenced toe or those around it. Hammer toe indications might be mellow or serious.

Gentle Manifestations

• a toe that twists descending
• trouble strolling
• powerlessness to flex your foot or squirm your toes
• paw like toes

Serious Side Effects

See a specialist immediately on the off chance that you have built up any of these side effects and they cause any severe uneasiness for you.

Treatment

You can address a hammer toe brought about by unseemly footwear by wearing appropriately fitting shoes.

Serious Hammer Toe Treatment

Surgery can reposition the toe, eliminate distorted or harmed bone, and realign your ligaments and joints. Surgery is typically done on an outpatient premise, so you can return home upon the arrival of your surgery.

Hammer toe

A hammertoe happens when the muscles and ligaments around your toe joint get out of balance. This makes the middle joint of your toe buckle and get stuck in this position. You’re most likely to see a hammertoe in your middle three toes. Toes that curl are also hammertoes. This happens most often with baby toes.

Causes

Hammertoe and mallet toe have been linked to:

• Certain shoes: High-heeled shoes or footwear that's too tight in the toe box can crowd your toes into a space in which they can't lie flat. This curled toe position might eventually persist even when you're barefoot.
• Trauma: An injury in which you stub, jam or break a toe can make it more likely for that digit to develop hammertoe or mallet toe.
• Abnormal balance of the toe muscles: The imbalance leads to instability, which can cause the toe to contract.

Signs and symptoms

A hammer toe causes you discomfort when you walk. It can also cause you pain when you try to stretch or move the affected toe or those around it. Hammer toe symptoms may be mild or severe.

• a toe that bends downward
• corns or calluses
• difficulty walking
• inability to flex your foot or wiggle your toes
• claw-like toes 

Diagnosis

Physical Examination

Your doctor will perform a physical examination to determine if the toe joint is flexible or rigid. This information will help him or her determine the appropriate treatment.

Tests

X-rays: X-rays provide images of dense structures, such as bone. Your doctor may order an x-ray of your foot to confirm the diagnosis.

Other tests: Patients who have diabetes or decreased sensation in their feet may require further testing to determine whether a neurological condition is the cause of the tendon imbalance.