The Stages of Hammertoes and the Importance of Early Care

Many foot issues start out small enough — a bunion begins as just a small bump on the inside of your foot, or toenail fungus is just a white spot on your nail. But these little issues can turn into big problems if they aren’t addressed. 

The same can be said of a common foot abnormality—hammertoes, which affect up to 20% of people. When a hammertoe reaches the later stages, it takes on a crooked, inverted V shape that looks like a hammer.

Early intervention can make a big difference with most progressive health issues. With that in mind, our team at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle wants to outline the stages of a developing hammertoe and what we can do to treat it.

The three stages of hammertoes

While hammertoes can develop differently in people, most follow a three-stage journey:

1. Flexible hammertoes

At first, you might notice your toe is starting to bend upward in the middle. However, you can still move the toe around, and the toe uncurls easily enough.

2. Semi-rigid hammertoes

At this stage, your toe continues its upward bend and remains in that position unless you push it to straighten it out.

3. Rigid hammertoes

In this final stage, the toe remains frozen in its inverted V-shape, and you cannot manually uncurl it. 

Hammertoes primarily affect the second, third, fourth, and fifth toes, and they often stem from an imbalance in the structures in your feet. 

While hammertoes aren’t medically serious, they can lead to discomfort as the added friction on the toe can cause painful corns and calluses, blisters, and open sores. You can also experience pain in your affected toe when it stretches out.

Best practices for slowing or halting hammertoes

If you notice a hammertoe forming, take action. Once a hammertoe reaches the rigid phases, often the only way to straighten the toe is through surgery.

So, if your toe isn’t frozen into a hammertoe, we suggest the following:

• Stretching the toe daily
• Exercises that promote better alignment in your foot (we’re happy to provide these)
• Wearing shoes that have enough room for all of your toes to stretch out comfortably
• Custom orthotics to rebalance your feet
• Foot pads to protect your toe

While these steps can go a long way toward slowing the progression, some people have other issues that lead to hammertoes. These issues include rheumatoid arthritis, bunions, flatfeet, and long toe bones. In these cases, we’ll have to monitor the situation closely. If the hammertoe becomes more problematic despite our management efforts, we may turn to surgery to correct it.

Schedule an appointment with us at the first signs of a developing hammertoe so we can start treatment.

For expert care of your hammertoe,  please contact one of our 18 locations in Tennessee to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced foot specialists.