Hammer Toe Surgery & hammer toe symptoms in Irvine Orange County

Hammer Toe Surgery

Hammer Toe Treatment in Irvine

What is Hammer Toe Surgery?

Hammertoe surgery is a surgical procedure to correct the second, third, or fourth toe deformity. The affected toe deformity is a bend at the middle joint, making the toe look like a hammer. When the muscles in the toe cannot straighten and stretch, your podiatrist relieve pain and improves flexibility through hammer toe surgery.
Your podiatrist will suggest Hammertoe surgery after using more conservative measures. These measures include using more comfortable shoes, pads, and splints.
Depending on your level of deformity and specific case, there are several surgical techniques and treatment option your podiatrist can choose.

• Tendon transfer: A tendon transfer is to forward tendons from the underside of the toe to the top of it, allowing it to straighten the toe.
  
• Joint resection: The podiatrist removes bone at the fixed joint, temporarily placing pins to keep your toe straight.
  
• Fusion: Fusion is one of the most common hammer toe surgeries. In the fusion method, the surgeon cuts end of the bones at the fixed join. A temporary K wire of a pin is inserted to straight the toe. When the fusion is done, the pin is removed.
  
• Newer techniques involve a rod or screw that is permanently implanted.

What Is Hammer Toe?

A hammer toe may be flexible or rigid and may occur on any of the lesser toes. Ligaments and tendons that have tightened cause the toe's joints to buckle, cocking the toe upward. Shoes then rub on the central portion of the toe, leading to inflammation or bursitis and creating hammer toe symptoms. Corns and calluses soon form. During the early stages, a hammertoe remains flexible, which will straighten when pressure is applied to the buckled area. As time passes, the toe can become permanently buckled or rigid, requiring surgery for correction. Painful calluses on the bottom of the foot may accompany rigid hammertoes because of pressure generated on the joint. Visit our podiatrist in Irvine

What Is Hammer Toe Symptoms?

The Hammer toe's main symptom is a toe bent upward at the middle joint. The patient may still be able to straighten out your toe initially. Still, it will become painful and more brutal to straighten the toe over time. Corns, blisters, or calluses may form quickly when your shoe's inside rubs against a hammer toe.

What Causes Hammer Toe?

Hammer toe is commonly caused by wearing tight, narrow, short shoes. Tight shoes cause the toe to be bend upward, muscles and tendons in the toe tighten and become shorter. People with long bones in their toes have more potential to develop hammer toe. Also, children wearing shoes they have outgrown may develop hammer toe condition. Wearing very narrow or high-heeled shoes is also a deciding factor in developing hammer toe. Rheumatoid arthritis and bunion are additional risk factors in developing hammer toe in the foot.

Mallet Toe and Claw Toe

Mallet toe and clew toe are similar to hammertoe. Still, joints at different locations on the toe are affected. The joint at the end of the toe buckles in a mallet toe, while a claw toe involves abnormal positions of all three joints of the toe.

Bone Spur - Toe Pain

A bone spur is an overgrowth of bone that may occur alone or along with a hammertoe. Pain, corns, and calluses are the major symptoms. If hammer toe is Left untreated, a bone spur may eventually be accompanied by bursitis or small skin ulceration.

Overlapping and Underlapping

Any one of the toes can overlap or underlap, pushing on adjacent toes and causing irritation. Overlapping or underlapping of the fifth toe is a common congenital problem easily corrected in children. Bunions can cause the second toe to overlap in adults.

Pain, inflammation, and small corns or areas of built-up tissue may result. This deformity can also interfere with the normal function of the foot. If left untreated, it may enlarge bone or bone spur formation.

Please chose the right podiatrist for hammer toe surgery to avoid to increase your risk