A hammer toe is a deformity that causes the middle joint of your toe to bend upward. Although any of your toes can be affected, hammer toe typically develops in your second or third toe.
When hammer toe initially occurs, the affected toe is still flexible, but if not treated right away, it can lose mobility. Treatment may begin with padding the toe, changing your footwear, or stretching the toe at home, but if you continue to have pain or further damage, surgery may be required.
Candidates for Surgery
If your hammer toe causes you pain or you experience discomfort when wearing shoes, after trying conservative treatments, surgery is for you.
However, if you have an infection, poor circulation, or a serious condition that makes surgery unsafe, then it may need to be avoided until you can get these other issues under control. It is important to talk with your doctor about your medical history when considering hammer toe surgery.
What to Expect
Hammer toe surgery is often done as an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day as the operation. The type of procedure you will need depends on the type of hammer toe you have.
Flexible hammer toe surgery re-routs the tendons from the bottom of your affected toe to the top of your toe. This will pull the bent joint into a straight position. This procedure is done on hammer toes that are still flexible and are able to be straightened.
However, joint resection is needed for hammer toes that have lost mobility. This involves making an incision over the top of your affected toe. It’s possible that tendons and ligaments will be cut to help straighten your toe. In order for the bone to straighten completely, the end of the bone is removed. Pins will be placed to temporarily hold your toe straight, and will be removed three to four weeks after surgery.
Recovery
Following your surgery, you may be given a special shoe to wear to help with walking. Depending on the type of procedure you had, recovery can take up to a few weeks.
You will need to keep your foot elevated for the first few weeks following surgery, and you may be restricted from driving if the hammer toe was on your right foot. If you have trouble walking, you may need crutches.
Doing stretches and exercises at home after surgery can help with the flexibility of your toe and help you maintain motion in your toe.
Swelling is normal and may take up to a year before going away.
Potential Complications
General complications that can arise due to surgery include: damage to your nerves and blood vessels in the toes, bleeding, blood clots, and risks related to anesthesia.
Complications related specifically to hammer toe surgery include the hammer toe returning and instability, due to ligaments and tendons being cut. These risks are rare and minor, but you should discuss with your surgeon all the potential complications that can occur with the operation before hammer toe surgery.
