How Do You Know if Hammer Toe Surgery Went Wrong

• What Is
  • What is hammer toe?
• Diagnosis
  • Diagnosis for hammer toe
• Treatments
  • Treatments for hammer toe
• Complications and Side Furnishings
  • Possible complications and side effects
• Center
  • Is Hammer Toe Surgery Painful? Center

What is hammer toe?

A hammer toe is a deformity in which one of your toes bends downwards instead of forward, and then it resembles a hammer. Y'all may experience hurting, swelling and redness after surgery.

Hammer toe (or hammertoe) is a deformity in which 1 of your toes bends to indicate downward instead of forward, resembling a hammer. The middle articulation curls to point upward, and the stop of the toe curls under. It can happen to whatsoever toe merely it most frequently occurs in the 2d or third toe.

The primary symptom of hammer toe is the upward curve in the middle toe joint. Early on, you may be able to straighten the toe out to its normal position. Over time, all the same, the toe becomes stiffer and less able to render to a typical position. This tin pb to pain with walking, or the germination of blisters, calluses, or corns.

Hammer toe is typically caused past wearing shoes that are too narrow or tight, like pointed high heels. Children tin too develop hammer toe if they wear shoes that are too minor.

Other causes of hammer toe include an injury, arthritis, genetics, diabetes, and age. While yous can get hammer toe at any age, it is more likely equally you lot get older.

Diagnosis for hammer toe

Your doc volition diagnose hammer toe with a physical examination of your pes.

In certain cases, your doctor may accept an x-ray of your foot to further understand the bone positions. If you have any loss of awareness in your pes, your doctor may also perform tests to assess the fretfulness in your foot and toes.

Treatments for hammer toe

Hammer toe is a progressive condition, which ways that it volition continue to get worse without medical intervention. It is not something that volition heal upward on its own.

Nonsurgical treatment

If your doctor diagnoses hammer toe early, when you still have a significant amount of flexibility and move in your toe, they may advise non-surgical treatment. These approaches can straighten a toe that is starting to bend and assistance change the way that weight is distributed across your foot.

These options include:

• Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce pain and swelling
• Over-the-counter pads and cushions to reduce pes and toe pain
• Orthotic shoe inserts to redistribute force per unit area
• Exercises or therapy to increment musculus tone and rest
• Steroid injections into the affected joint to decrease inflammation

Your doctor may as well suggest a change in shoes. Wearing shoes that are the correct size and that offer some space for movement in the toe box (the role of shoes that protects the toes) tin alleviate the pressure that worsens hammer toe.

Hammer toe surgery

If non-surgical options are non effective, or if your hammer toe is very stiff or painful, your doctor might recommend surgery. Depending on the specific factors causing your hammer toe, surgery may have a different approach. A surgeon volition usually perform hammer toe surgery with a local anesthetic. You lot should be able to get home the same day.

One surgical option for hammer toe is tendon lengthening. In this procedure, a surgeon lengthens the tendon in the afflicted toe (or toes) to provide more flexibility.

Another option is called a tendon transfer. This procedure involves moving part of a tendon from the bottom of the toe to the superlative to provide more than flexibility and motion in the toe.

A 3rd surgical procedure is called arthrodesis (joint fusion). Your dr. may place metal pins or screws in your toes during the surgery, which they will need to remove a few weeks later. This surgery fuses, or internally immobilizes, the toe joints to create more stability and let for bone growth.

Hammer toe surgery recovery

Though nigh people can bear weight on their human foot immediately subsequently hammer toe surgery, full recovery takes between 4 and 6 weeks. You volition likely need to wear a special shoe or boot. Your toe and pes volition have some redness, swelling, and pain after surgery.

Some hammer toe surgery is more all-encompassing, and you may need crutches or a wheelchair afterwards. Be sure to inquire your doctor virtually how to all-time limit your activities to allow your toes heal.

If you lot accept stitches, screws, or pins that your doc volition remove later, you may not be able to go your foot wet while bathing or swimming. If your surgery is on your correct foot, y'all may non exist able to drive for a few weeks.

If your physician places pins during your surgery to go on your toes straight while they heal, they volition remove them ii to 3 weeks after the surgery. Removal is normally not painful because the pins begin to loosen on their own during your recovery.

Keeping your pes elevated afterwards hammer toe surgery can help minimize swelling and pain in your foot. Your doctor may prescribe pain medicine or recommend a certain kind of over-the-counter medication for pain management. Ice packs or common cold compresses may help minimize swelling and hurting, too.

Possible complications and side furnishings

All surgery includes risks of complications. Complications to hammer toe surgery are not mutual, but y'all should discuss them with your dr.. The possible complications and side furnishings of hammer toe surgery are:

• Reaction to anesthesia
• Infection
• Damage to nerves or claret vessels
• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Loss of stability in the toe
• Bones that do not heal later fusion

Virtually hammer toe surgery is successful, but your hammer toe may render after surgery. If this is the case, your doctor volition once again consider non-surgical interventions, or possibly a second surgery.

SLIDESHOW

Mutual Causes of Foot Pain See Slideshow

Medically Reviewed on 1/25/2021

References

SOURCES:

Advanced Pes & Talocrural joint Care Centers: "Hammer Toe."

FamilyDoctor.org: "Hammer Toe."

Franciscan Health: "Surgical Correction for Painful Hammer Toe"

FootCareMD: "What is Hammertoe Surgery?"

Foot Health Facts: "Hammertoe."

NYU Langone Health: "Nonsurgical Treatment for Hammertoe"

OrthoInfo: "Hammer Toe."

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Source: https://www.medicinenet.com/is_hammer_toe_surgery_painful/article.htm

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