No matter if we are talking about personal relationships or the laws of physics, imbalances are rarely a good thing. They can be especially concerning when they are found in the human body. As an example, imbalance in the hormone system can result in heightened insulin resistance, belly fat, and breast cancer risk. Another area of potential imbalance in the body can happen between opposing muscle groups, like those found in your toes. This type of imbalance can lead to a bent, hammer-looking digit. When this happens, you need hammertoe treatment to relieve symptoms and hopefully prevent the condition from worsening.

Hammertoe TreatmentAs can likely be expected, treatment for a hammertoe depends on the severity of the condition. If your toe is still flexible, we may simply recommend you switch to footwear that is roomier and more comfortable, and perhaps also that you wear shoe inserts, pads, or possibly even custom orthotics. Shoe inserts and pads can help by repositioning your toe and thereby relieving any pressure and pain.

In addition, we may recommend certain exercises—such as crumpling a towel with your toes or picking up marbles—to strengthen and stretch your toe muscles. Now, this will not be able to reverse any existing damage, but it could keep the toes flexible, strong, and prevent the condition from progressing further.

When conservative treatments do not provide enough relief, you may need to consider a surgical procedure to release the tight tendon keeping your toe from lying flat. Depending on the situation, bone may also need to be removed to help straighten out the affected toe.

As is always the case, we will attempt nonsurgical treatment methods first, in the hopes they are able to produce the desired results. If this does not work, though, you can take comfort in the fact that we have the expertise to perform the successful surgery you need.

Call Foot Specialists of Long Island today for more information on hammertoe treatment, or any of the foot and ankle services we provide, by dialing (516) 804-9038 to reach our Massapequa, NY office. You can also take a moment to connect with us via our online form if you would like additional information.

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