Hammertoe Surgery: Recovery and When Toe Correction Is the Right Choice

Key Takeaways

• Hammertoe surgery may be the right choice when a bent toe stays painful, limits your daily activities, or makes it hard to wear shoes after nonsurgical care.
• Flexible hammertoes can often be managed with roomier shoes, pads, and toe exercises, while rigid hammertoes are more likely to need surgery.
• Surgery may straighten the toe by removing a small piece of bone, fusing the joint, or rebalancing the tendons.
• Most patients can return to a comfortable, wide sneaker within 4 to 6 weeks, but full recovery, including swelling, can take several months.
• Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates is an experienced provider of foot and ankle surgery in Morgantown and North Central West Virginia, and you can request an appointment to talk about your toe pain.

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What Is a Hammertoe?

A hammertoe is a toe that bends down at its middle joint, so it looks like a small hammer. It most often affects the second, third, or fourth toe. Over time, the top of the bent joint can rub against your shoe and form a painful corn (a thick, hard patch of skin).

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) guide to hammertoe explains that it starts with a muscle imbalance. Tight shoes with a narrow toe box or high heels can push the toes into a bent position.

Hammertoe vs. Claw Toe vs. Mallet Toe

Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates (MOA) treats several related toe problems:

• Hammertoe: The middle joint of the toe bends down.
• Claw toe: The joint where the toe meets the foot bends up, while the middle and end joints bend down.
• Mallet toe: Only the joint closest to the tip of the toe bends down.

Flexible vs. Rigid Hammertoe: Why It Matters

The biggest factor in choosing treatment is whether the toe can still move. Early hammertoes are flexible, which means you can still straighten the toe by hand. Without care, the joint can stiffen and become rigid.

Nonsurgical Hammertoe Care to Try First

The AAOS suggests these steps for many flexible hammertoes:

• Wear shoes about half an inch longer than your longest toe, with a soft, roomy toe box.
• Skip tight, narrow, or high-heeled shoes.
• Use nonmedicated corn pads, cushions, or straps.
• Do toe stretches and 'towel curls,' where you scrunch a towel with your toes.

If you have diabetes, poor circulation, or less feeling in your feet, check with your doctor before using over-the-counter pads.

When Hammertoe Surgery Is the Right Choice

Surgery may be worth a closer look if you have:

• Pain that does not get better after padding, shoe changes, or stretching
• Painful corns that keep coming back
• Trouble finding shoes that fit
• Limits on how far or how comfortably you can walk
• A toe that is fixed in a bent position

For West Virginians who spend long days in work boots, on the farm, or on the golf course, a stiff, painful toe can get in the way of daily life.

Surgery is not right for everyone. The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) FootCareMD page on hammertoe surgery notes that it may not be advised if you have an active infection, poor circulation, or a serious illness such as heart disease.

Types of Hammertoe Surgery at Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates

MOA's toe deformity surgery options include:

• Arthroplasty: The surgeon removes a small piece of bone at the bent joint. This creates space so the toe can lie straight.
• Arthrodesis (joint fusion): The surgeon removes the ends of the bones at the bent joint, straightens the toe, and holds it with a pin or screw while the bones heal together.
• Tendon release or transfer: The surgeon loosens or moves a tendon to rebalance the forces pulling on the toe. This may be done alone or with another procedure.

Hammertoe correction is one part of MOA's broader foot and ankle surgery services. Foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Nick L. Zervos can examine your toes, take X-rays, and explain which option fits your foot.

Hammertoe Surgery Recovery: What to Expect

Here is what recovery after toe deformity surgery at MOA usually looks like:

• Surgery is usually outpatient, so you go home the same day.
• You will wear a special post-op shoe or boot that lets you walk while protecting the toe.
• You may need crutches for the first few days for balance.
• Keep your foot raised as much as you can for the first one to two weeks to control swelling.
• If a pin was used, it is usually removed in the office after a few weeks.
• Most patients can return to wearing a comfortable, wide sneaker within 4 to 6 weeks.
• Full recovery, including all swelling going away, can take several months.

Recovery Tips and What to Know

• Do not soak your foot until stitches and pins are out, per FootCareMD.
• If surgery was on your right foot, ask when you can drive. FootCareMD notes driving may be limited for several weeks.
• Expect the toe to be stiffer than before. After a fusion, the toe will not bend at that joint.
• FootCareMD notes that swelling after surgery is normal and may take many months to fully go away.

Find Relief From Painful Hammertoes in Morgantown, WV

Hammertoe surgery can be the right choice when a stiff, bent toe keeps hurting despite shoe changes and padding. Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates can check how flexible your toe is and help you decide whether surgery makes sense.

Ready to walk more comfortably? Ask Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates about toe deformity surgery for hammertoes. Request an appointment with Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates today.

Frequently Asked Questions