Hammer Toe and/or Claw Toe and/or Mallet Toe

What is it?

A condition that causes your toe to bend or curl downward instead of pointing forward (ones toe contains two joints that allow it to bend at the middle and bottom, a hammer toe occurs when the middle joint becomes flexed or bent downward).

It most often affects the second or third toe though it can affect any toes on the foot

Cause

From birth
Family history
Hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy (recurrent episodes of severe pain in the shoulder and arm)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Spinal disease/Lower back disease
Tethered cord syndrome
Trismus-pseudocamptodactyly syndrome
Neurological disease affecting back, leg and/or foot
Diabetes
Stroke
Wearing ill-fitting shoes, such as tight shoes and/or pointed heelswhich may cause:
- Bunions
- Calluses
- Corns
Unusually high foot arch
Toe injury
Ill fitting shoes
Pressure on tendons and ligaments on foot
Pressure from a bunion, which is when your big toe points inward toward your second toe

Source: https://www.braceability.com/blogs/articles/why-i-had-mallet-toe-surgery

Source: https://www.fairview.org/patient-education/83952

Source: https://www.dreamstime.com

Symptom

Second or third toe affected (though any toes on the foot can be affected)?
A toe that bends downward (tip of toe is flat)?
Corns or calluses?
Clumsy and awkward walking?
Inability to flex your foot or wiggle your toes?
Claw-like toes (toes are bent inwards in two places)?
Mallet toes (where tip of toe is bent inwards?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

General tips

The best hammer toe prevention tip is to wear properly fitting shoes.
If your shoes feel too snug, go to your local shoe store and have the length and width of your feet measured.
If you wear high heels, the heel height should be 2 inches or less. Wearing shoes with high heels increases the pressure on your toes and causes them to bend. It can also cause the formation of corns and a high arch.

Heathline

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Hammer Toe and/or Claw Toe and/or Mallet Toe in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

Medical News Today
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Medscape (Professional level)
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Healthline
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EveryDay Health
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Pharmaceutical Journal (Professional level)
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NHS
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WebMD
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Cleveland Clinic
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Mayo Clinic
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Drugs.com
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National Organisation of Rare Diseases
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Verywell Health
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Nathnac
Travel health guidance for health professionals advising travellers and for travellers going overseas from the UK.
DR Axe
Health and fitness news. Recipes, Natural Remedies
Better health - NHS
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