Hammer toe repair

A hammer toe is a toe that stays in a curled or flexed position. Muscle imbalance, arthritis, or shoes that DO NOT fit well can cause this.

Hammer toe can occur in more than one toe.

Description

Several kinds of surgery can repair hammer toe. Your bone or foot doctor will recommend the kind that will work best for you. Some of the surgeries include:

• Removing parts of the toe bones.
• Cutting or transplanting the tendons of the toes (tendons connect bone to muscle).
• Fusing the joint together to make the toe straight and no longer able to bend.

After surgery, you may have surgical pins or a wire (Kirschner, or K-wire) to hold the toe bones in place while your toe heals. You will also have to use a different shoe to walk to allow your toes to heal.

Why the Procedure Is Performed

When hammer toe is starting to develop, you may still be able to straighten your toe. Over time, your toe may get stuck in a bent position and you can no longer straighten it. When this happens, painful, hard corns (thick, callused skin) can build up on the top and bottom of your toe and rub against your shoe.

Hammer toe surgery is not done just to make your toe look better. Consider surgery if your hammer toe is stuck in a flexed position and is causing:

• Pain
• Irritation
• Sores
• Problems finding shoes that fit
• Skin infections

Surgery may not be advised if:

• Treatment with paddings and strapping works
• You can still straighten your toe
• Changing to different shoe types can alleviate symptoms

Risks

Risks of anesthesia and surgery in general are:

• Reactions to medicines
• Breathing problems
• Bleeding
• Infection

Risks of hammer toe surgery are:

• Poor alignment of the toe
• Injury to nerves that could cause numbness in your toe
• Scar from surgery that hurts when it is touched
• Stiffness in the toe or a toe that is too straight
• Losing your toe

Before the Procedure

Always tell your health care provider what medicines you are taking, even medicines, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription.

• You may be asked to stop taking drugs that make it harder for your blood to clot. These include aspirin, ibuprofen, (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve), and other drugs.
• Ask your provider which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.
• If you smoke, try to stop. Ask your provider for help. Smoking can slow healing.
• Always let your provider know about any cold, flu, fever, or other illness you may have before your surgery.
• You may be asked not to drink or eat anything for 6 to 12 hours before surgery.

If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other medical conditions, your surgeon will ask you to see the provider who treats you for these conditions.

After the Procedure

Most people go home the same day they have hammer toe surgery. Your provider will tell you how to take care of yourself at home after surgery .