Hammertoes

 


Hammertoe occurs from a muscle and ligament imbalance around the toe joint which causes the middle joint of the toe to bend and become stuck in this position. Middle toes are likely to be affected although baby toes that curl are also considered hammertoes. 

If the hammertoes are flexible that means the toes are still movable and there are minor treatment options. A more serious form of hammertoe is called rigid hammertoe which means the toe won’t move at all and would require surgery. No matter which case of hammertoes you have Doctors at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry can diagnose and decide on the best treatment.

Hammertoe is often hereditary and minor solutions include better fitting shoes and orthotics, splints, and metatarsal pads which help widen the foot. 

Doctors at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry can help with any questions you may have and diagnose any toe issues you may be experiencing. Visit our website www.newjerseyfoot.com to view other services we offer. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Frank Killan at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry, PC call our Hamilton, NJ, office at 609-585-3200 or our Tom’s River, NJ, office at 732-557-4266.

Hammertoe occurs from a muscle and ligament imbalance around the toe joint which causes the middle joint of the toe to bend and become stuck in this position. Middle toes are likely to be affected although baby toes that curl are also considered hammertoes.


If the hammertoes are flexible that means the toes are still movable and there are minor treatment options. A more serious form of hammertoe is called rigid hammertoe which means the toe won’t move at all and would require surgery. No matter which case of hammertoes you have Doctors at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry can diagnose and decide on the best treatment.


Hammertoe is often hereditary and minor solutions include better fitting shoes and orthotics, splints, and metatarsal pads which help widen the foot.


 


Doctors at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry can help with any questions you may have and diagnose any toe issues you may be experiencing. Visit our website www.newjerseyfoot.com to view other services we offer. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Frank Killan at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry, PC call our Hamilton, NJ, office at 609-585-3200 or our Tom’s River, NJ, office at 732-557-4266.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sever's Disease

Do you recall suffering frequent heel pain as a child? If you do, that’s not unusual; children’s bones haven’t fully fused together, and they are more vulnerable to overuse injuries than adults. However, nobody likes seeing their child in pain, and if a child frequently suffers from sore heels, there may be a biomechanical issue at play. At Mercer-Ocean Podiatry, we assist patients of all ages, so we thought it would be a good idea to explain Sever’s Disease, a common source of childhood foot problems, in more detail. Sever’s disease, or calcaneal apophysitis, is inflammation of the growth plate connecting the back of the heel bone to the bone’s main body. The back of the heel bone is where the Achilles tendon, one of the strongest tendons in the body, attaches. When the calf muscles or the tendon itself are tight, the tendon will pull the heel up and backwards, causing soreness in the soft growth plate. The calf muscles are likely to tighten up after a person has been running and jum
Read more

Clipping Toenails

Clipping your toenails correctly is the key to avoiding an ingrown nail. But many people are misinformed about this basic aspect of footcare, and during the summer, people are paying more attention to their bare feet and wondering how to trim their nails correctly. If you’re diabetic, this may be something that you’ll always need to be cautious about, but for most people at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry in northern New Jersey, the following advice will keep their toes safe and presentable. It’s a good idea to have separate clippers for the toenails and fingernails. Toenail clippers are a little larger, and using separate clippers will reduce the spread of bacteria. The toenails should be clean when they’re cut, but unless they’re extremely thick, they shouldn’t be wet. A wet nail is at greater risk of tearing. As you cut, go straight across, using a few small trims. You don’t want your nails to be rounded off, or they’ll be at greater risk of growing into the skin and causing a hangnail. Inst
Read more

Choosing Shoes for Children

The doctors at Mercer-Ocean Podiatry get a lot of questions from patients about shoes, and how to choose the best shoes for their families.  Children three and older experience foot growth at the rate of one-half a foot size every four to six months, but a growth spurt can cause a child’s feet can grow up to two sizes in a six month period.   So how can you keep their feet comfy, without going broke from buying new shoes?  Leave room for growth when selecting.  There should always be extra room for a child’s foot to grow in the toe area or ‘box’ of the shoe.  A good measure for this extra wiggle room could be the width of one of your fingers.  From the tip of the child’s big toe to the tip of the shoe, extra space the length of one finger width should do. As kids age, they put their shoes through a lot, and luckily most shoes are made to withstand some of this wear and tear.  Before tossing every scuffed pair, look around the edge of the sole for wear in the material.  This is a sign t
Read more