You have agonizing pain in your little toe as a result of abnormal bending of one or more toe joints. What you are suffering from is hammertoe. The good news it that today’s state-of-the-art surgery will enable you to recover rapidly and eliminate your pain.
How Hammertoes Form — Your little toes help to balance and propel your body when you walk. As your feet flatten out to grip the ground, your little toes bend. The little toes straighten out to help push when you take a step. However, if the front of your feet are wide, the joints at the end or middle of your toes, as well as the joints near the balls of your feet, may fall victim to hammertoes. This happens when the muscles under the toes are stronger than the muscles on top of the toes. There is a range in the number of joints and toes involved as there is a range in severity of hammertoes. In some cases, they can be caused by some kind of trauma, such as a previously broken toe.
Occasionally, hammertoes are inherited. Regardless of how they formed, shoes that do not fit properly will aggravate them.
Fusion Surgery — Thankfully, the method of using a steel pin that protruded out from the toe and had to remain intact for weeks is no longer necessary. This technique failed to enable the toe to heal straight. Today, Fusion surgery provides safe, fast and effective relief. With this procedure, we use a smart pin, which dissolves over an 18-month period. The result is that your toe will be strong, straight, healthy, and completely pain free.
Fusion surgery requires only local anesthesia and mild sedation. Patients are allowed to walk immediately after surgery. If you have a desk job and surgery on Friday, you will be able to return to work on Monday. If your job requires you to be constantly on your feet, it will only keep you from your job for no more than a few weeks.
There is no reason for you to continue suffering. Contact your podiatrist and ask about Fusion surgery.
Dr. Robert Abrams, DPM, is medical director of the Foot care Center of Santa Clarita. He can be reached at 661-253-3668. You can also visit his web site at www.killerfeet.net .