A hammer toe is a deformity that causes your toe to bend or curl downward in its middle joint to look like a hammer instead of pointing forward

This painful condition forms due to an imbalance in the surrounding muscles, tendons, or ligaments that normally keep the toe straight.

  • A toe that bends downward
  • Corns or calluses form on the top of the toe and the ball of the foot due to the rubbing and pressure from footwear on the toe.
  • Difficulty walking
  • Inability to flex your foot or wiggle your toes
  • Claw-like toes
  • A traumatic toe injury
  • Arthritis
  • An unusually high foot arch or flat foot
  • Wearing shoes that don’t fit properly
  • Tightened/ imbalanced ligaments or tendons in the foot caused by a structural or neurological change in the foot.
  • Pressure from a bunion, which is when your big toe points inward toward your second toe
  • Taping the toes in the correct position
  • Custom orthotic devices for shoes can help correct and restrict further progression of the hammertoe
  • Wearing proper footwear with plenty of room in the toe region
  • Stretching exercises for excessively tight tendons and strengthening of foot intrinsic muscles
  • Shoes with deep toe box
  • Toe Separator
  • Orthotics
  • Toe Gel Caps