A hammertoe is a foot deformity caused by an abnormal bending of the toe at the middle joint. This bending causes the toe to curl under the foot and is caused by a weakened muscle. WebMD does a great job of explaining how to treat hammertoes and how to prevent them. They recommend seeing a podiatrist to treat your hammertoe. While you wait for your visit, they recommend the following options for treating hammertoes:
- Wear only shoes that are high and broad across the toes, called a wide toe-box shoe. There should be at least one-half inch of space between your longest toe and the tip of the shoe. Keep in mind that this could be either a big toe or second toe.
- Don’t wear heels higher than 2 inches.
- Wear the appropriate shoe for the activity you are doing.
- You can buy non-medicated hammertoe pads. They fit around the pointy top of the toe joint and help relieve painful pressure. Some brands have a gel lining that can prevent irritation of the toe by the shoe.
- Gently massaging the toe may help relieve pain.
- Put ice packs on the hammertoe to reduce painful swelling.
