Visit the West Vancouver Foot Clinic to Treat Hammertoe Problems
Corns and calluses on your feet can cause you discomfort and embarrassment. It is essential to seek treatment in time to prevent any major medical problem later. We are a team of friendly physicians who are dedicated and committed to providing the best medical solutions to your digital disorders. At the West Vancouver Foot Clinic, we treat corns and calluses on your foot with the ultimate care. Visit us to treat digital disorders in West Vancouver.
Digital Disorders and Treatments
Corns, calluses and pain may indicate joint problems. One of the major culprits of toe deformities in adults is tendon imbalance.
Common Deformities
Hammertoes, claw toes, mallet toes, bone spurs, overlapping and underlapping toes, and curled toes are the most common digital deformities. Corns and calluses are a build-up of skin on the affected joint. These are often associated with joint bursitis and are the most noticeable and bothersome symptoms.
Hammertoes
A hammertoe may be flexible or rigid and may occur on any of the lesser toes. Ligaments and tendons that have tightened cause the toe’s joints to buckle, cocking the toe upward. As time passes, the toe can become permanently buckled or rigid, requiring surgery for correction. Mallet toes and claw toes are similar in appearance to hammertoes, but the location of the joint deformity on the toe is at a different location. When the joint at the end of the toe buckles, it is a mallet toe, while a claw toe involves abnormal positions of all three joints of the toe.
Conservative Treatments
For people who have minor discomfort, the symptoms may be treated conservatively (without surgery), which usually involves trimming or padding corns or calluses, wearing supportive orthotics, splints or small straps to realign the toe, or wearing shoes with a wider toe box. In certain cases, anti-inflammatory medications may be injected to relieve pain and inflammation.
Bone Spurs
A bone spur is an overgrowth of bone that may occur alone or along with a hammertoe. Painful corn and calluses are major symptoms. Any one of the toes can overlap or underlap, pushing on adjacent toes and causing irritation. Overlapping or underlapping of the fifth toe is a common congenital problem that is easily corrected in children. Bunions can cause the second toe to overlap in adults.
Surgical Treatments
When the deformity is painful or permanent, surgical correction is recommended to relieve pain, correct the problem and provide a stable, functional toe. Depending on your health status, surgery may be conducted. The procedures are usually comfortably performed under local anesthesia.
