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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your toe is still flexible, your doctor may recommend that you change to roomier and more comfortable footwear and that you wear shoe inserts (orthotics) or pads. Wearing inserts or pads can reposition your toe and relieve pressure and pain.
If your toe has become tight and inflexible, your doctor may recommend surgery. The specific procedure depends on how much flexibility is left in your toe:
- If your toe has some flexibility, your doctor may straighten it by making an incision in the toe and releasing the tendon.
- If your toe is rigid, your doctor may not only cut or realign tendons but also remove some pieces of bone to straighten your toe. This procedure may require that the bones be fixed temporarily with pins while your toe heals.
Usually, you can go home from the hospital on the day of your toe surgery.
- Hammertoe. American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/hammertoes.htm. Accessed June 24, 2010.
- Hammer toe deformity. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec04/ch043/ch043m.html. Accessed June 24, 2010.
- Klein SE. Conditions of the forefoot. In: DeLee JC, et al. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3143-7..00025-7--s2255&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3143-7..00025-7--boxsec40&uniq=206941847&isbn=978-1-4160-3143-7&sid=1016949770. Accessed June 24, 2010.
- Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 8, 2010.
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