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What is a hammertoe?
Your little toes help to balance and propel your body when you move. As your foot flattens, the little toes bend to grip the ground. Then they straighten, acting like levers to push your foot so you can walk, run or dance. But if the front of your foot is wide, you may develop a problem know as a hammertoe.In general, the term "hammer-toe" describes a buckling of any of the toe joints. Joints at the end or middle of the toe as well as the joint near the ball of the foot may be affected. Toe joints usually curl because of a muscle imbalance, or tight tendons. Hammertoes vary in severity and in the number of joints involved. Hammertoes may be flexible or rigid, depending on the joint's ability to move. A flexible joint may become more rigid as you age. You can straighten a flexible hammertoe with your fingers. Although they look painful, a flexible hammertoe may not hurt. A rigid hammertoe cannot be moved. Rigid joints may cause pain and distort foot movement. This may put extra stress on the ball of the foot, causing a callus (a corn on the bottom of the foot). |
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