Hammer Toe
Overview
Foot problems can be painful and lead to disability. One specific condition is called hammer toe.
Anatomy
Hammer toe impacts the second, third, and fourth toes. This issue occurs when the middle joint, known medically as the PIP, or the proximal interphalangeal joint, bends inward. This abnormal movement makes the toe look like a hammer, which describes the condition’s name.

Description
Hammer toe is a common foot condition with more than 200,000 cases in the United States every year. The toe has an abnormal bend in the middle joint, causing it to bend or curl downward instead of pointing forward. Hammer toe most commonly affects the second or third toe.
Causes
Researchers believe that the condition’s root cause is a foot muscle imbalance resulting in excessive pressure placed on a toe’s soft tissues like ligaments and tendons. Wearing improper footwear is usually the most significant contributing factor.
This is particularly true of dress shoes like high heels. The foot’s pathway grows narrower in this type of shoe, which causes the middle toes to bend inward more than they are used to. This bending is only heightened when individuals walk because these shoes have such strong heel force.
When you wear high heels or only wear them a few times, foot muscles compensate by straightening the affected toes. But as the shoes are worn more often, the muscles weaken and grow less capable of performing the corrective action. The result is the onset of hammer toe.
Symptoms
The most obvious symptom is the bending of the affected toe. This physical problem is also often accompanied by other occurrences, including:
- Toe pain.
- Discomfort that worsens when you move the toe or puts shoes on.
- Difficulty walking.
- Trouble standing or bearing weight on the injured toe and foot.
The damaged toe can develop painful growths like corns or calluses. They can intensify pain and other symptoms.

Diagnosis
Moderate to severe hammer toe is readily visible, which makes the condition somewhat easy to diagnose. Your physician will still move the affected toe to gauge its flexibility levels and help determine the most appropriate treatment.
In some cases, diagnostic imaging like X-rays may be required to complete the diagnosis. Occasionally, your physician might use various other diagnostic tools to rule out other conditions.
Treatment Overview
Hammer toe is treatable, and it is simplest to address during its early to middle stages. Severe instances may need surgery.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options
The most direct remedy is the use of different footwear. Your physician will likely suggest that you refrain from wearing high heels or any other shoes that leave their toes little, if any, wiggle room. It is recommended that hammer toe sufferers wear footwear that is at least a half-inch longer than their big toe.
When a hammer toe takes hold, you can usually benefit from wearing shoes that help accommodate the problem. Shoe repair shops or specialty establishments may be able to extend a shoe’s length to fit the toe in question comfortably.
Over-The-Counter Aids
Items like cushions or orthotic devices placed inside shoes can make walking or exercising more pleasant and ease any associated discomfort.
Surgical Procedures
In instances where you experience severe pain or mobility issues or the toe in question no longer moves, surgery may be required. The specific intervention a doctor recommends will depend on the condition’s severity. Commonly performed operations include:
- Tendon Transfer – During this procedure, a surgeon transfers a healthy tendon from the top of the patient’s toe into the middle, which can help straighten the hammer toe.
- Tendon Lightening – This surgery extends the tendons responsible for causing the joint abnormality in patients with flexible enough toe joints.
- Joint Fusion – This operation, which is referred to as arthrodesis, is usually performed on persons with rigid joints and pronounced cases of hammer toe. Surgeons remove a tiny part of bone near the toe joint. This action enables the damaged toe to extend. During the second stage of this procedure, the surgeon inserts a metal plate, pin, or wire, into the bones connected to the affected joint. This enables the bones to eventually fuse together and keep the toe straight.
These procedures are typically performed on an outpatient basis. The full recovery period usually takes somewhere between four to six weeks.
Prevention
Not all incidents of hammer toe can be prevented. But some cases can be stopped or slowed in provided people:
- Wear appropriate footwear – If you are required to wear high heels, you should wear wider, more comfortable shoes.
- Exercise – Toe-strengthening exercises may prevent or reduce the chance of developing the condition. Specific movements, including curls, extensions, and splaying, often provide long-term benefits.
Next Steps
Talk to your Florida Orthopaedic Institute physician today to learn more about hammer toe.
Areas of Focus
- Foot, Ankle & Lower Leg
- Achilles Tendinitis - Achilles Insertional Calcific Tendinopathy (ACIT)
- Achilles Tendon Rupture
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Ankle Fracture Surgery
- Ankle Fractures (Broken Ankle)
- Ankle Fusion Surgery
- Arthroscopic Articular Cartilage Repair
- Arthroscopy Of the Ankle
- Bunions
- Charcot Joint
- Common Foot Fractures in Athletes
- Foot Stress Fractures
- Hallux Rigidus Surgery - Cheilectomy
- Hammer Toe
- High Ankle Sprain (Syndesmosis Ligament Injury)
- Intraarticular Calcaneal Fracture
- Lisfranc Injuries
- Mallet, Hammer & Claw Toes
- Metatarsalgia
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Neuromas (Foot)
- Orthopedic Physician Or A Podiatrist?
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Sports Foot Injuries
- Sprained Ankle
- Total Ankle Replacement
- Turf Toe
The following Florida Orthopaedic Institute physicians specialize in Hammer Toe:
Specialties
- AC Joint Injuries
- Achilles Tendinitis - Achilles Insertional Calcific Tendinopathy (ACIT)
- Achilles Tendon Rupture
- Achilles Tendonitis
- ACL Injuries
- Ankle Fracture Surgery
- Ankle Fractures (Broken Ankle)
- Ankle Fusion Surgery
- Anterior Cervical Corpectomy & Discectomy
- Arthroscopic Articular Cartilage Repair
- Arthroscopic Chondroplasty
- Arthroscopic Debridement of the Elbow
- Arthroscopy Of the Ankle
- Articular Cartilage Restoration
- Artificial Disk Replacement (ADR)
- Aspiration of the Olecranon Bursa
- Atraumatic Shoulder Instability
- Avascular Necrosis (Osteonecrosis)
- Bankart Repair
- Basal Joint Surgery
- Bicep Tendon Tear
- Bicep Tenodesis
- Bone Cement Injection
- Bone Growth Stimulation
- Bone Health Clinic
- Broken Collarbone
- Bunions
- Bursitis of the Shoulder (Subacromial Bursitis)
- Calcific Tendinitis of the Shoulder
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Charcot Joint
- Chiropractic
- Clavicle Fractures
- Colles’ Fractures (Broken Wrist)
- Common Foot Fractures in Athletes
- Community Outreach
- Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
- De Quervain's Tenosynovitis
- Degenerative Disk Disease
- Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH)
- Discectomy
- Discitis Treatment & Information
- Dislocated Shoulder
- Dupuytren’s Disease
- Elbow
- Elbow Bursitis
- Elbow Injuries in Throwing Athletes
- Epidural Injections for Spinal Pain
- Finger Dislocation
- Flexor Tendonitis
- Foot Stress Fractures
- Foot, Ankle & Lower Leg
- Foraminotomy
- Fractured Fingers
- Fractures Of The Shoulder Blade (Scapula)
- Fractures Of The Tibial Spine
- Functional Nerve Transfers of The Hand
- Ganglion Cysts
- General Orthopedics
- Glenoid Labrum Tear
- Golfer's Elbow
- Groin Strains and Pulls
- Growth Plate Injuries Of The Elbow
- Hallux Rigidus Surgery - Cheilectomy
- Hammer Toe
- Hamstring Injuries
- Hand & Finger Replantation
- Hand & Wrist
- Hand Nerve Decompression
- Hand Skin Grafts
- Hand, Wrist, Elbow & Shoulder
- Heat Injury/Heat Prostration
- High Ankle Sprain (Syndesmosis Ligament Injury)
- Hip & Thigh
- Hip Arthroscopy
- Hip Dislocation
- Hip Flexor Strains
- Hip Fractures
- Hip Hemiarthroplasty
- Hip Impingement Labral Tears
- Hip Muscle Strains
- Hip Pointers and Trochanteric Bursitis
- Hyperextension Injury of the Elbow
- Iliopsoas Tenotomy
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome
- Impingement Syndrome of the Shoulder
- Interlaminar Implants
- Interlaminar Lumbar Instrumental Fusion: ILIF
- Interventional Pain Management
- Interventional Spine
- Intraarticular Calcaneal Fracture
- Joint Replacement
- Knee & Leg
- Kyphoplasty (Balloon Vertebroplasty)
- Kyphosis
- Labral Tears Of The Hip (Acetabular Labrum Tears)
- Laminectomy: Decompression Surgery
- Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Injuries
- Lisfranc Injuries
- Little League Shoulder
- LITTLE LEAGUER'S ELBOW (MEDIAL APOPHYSITIS)
- Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection
- Lumbar Interbody Fusion (IBF)
- MACI
- Mallet, Hammer & Claw Toes
- Medial Collateral Ligament Injuries
- Meniscus Tears
- Metatarsalgia
- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Muscle Spasms
- Nerve Pain
- Neuromas (Foot)
- Neurosurgery
- Olecranon Stress Fractures
- Orthopaedic Total Wellness
- Orthopedic Physician Or A Podiatrist?
- Orthopedic Trauma
- Osteoarthritis of the Hip
- Osteoporosis
- Outpatient Spine Surgery
- Partial Knee Replacement
- Patellar Fracture
- Pelvic Ring Fractures
- Peripheral Nerve Surgery (Hand) Revision
- Pinched Nerve
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Podiatry
- Primary Care Sports Medicine
- Quadriceps Tendon Tear
- Radial Tunnel Syndrome (Entrapment of the Radial Nerve)
- Revascularization of the Hand
- Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) of the Shoulder
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Of The Hand
- Robotics
- Rotator Cuff Tears
- Runner's Knee
- Sacroiliac Joint Pain
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Shin Splints
- Shoulder
- Shoulder Arthritis
- Shoulder Arthroscopy
- Shoulder Injury: Pain In The Overhead Athlete
- Shoulder Replacement
- Shoulder Separations
- Shoulder Socket Fracture (Glenoid Fracture)
- SLAP Tears & Repairs
- Spinal Fusion
- Spine
- Spondylolisthesis and Spondylolysis
- Sports Foot Injuries
- Sports Hernias (Athletic Pubalgia)
- Sports Medicine
- Sports Wrist and Hand Injuries
- Sprained Ankle
- Sprained Wrist Symptoms and Treatment
- Subacromial Decompression
- Sudden (Acute) Finger, Hand & Wrist Injuries
- Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR)
- Tendon Transfers of The Hand
- Tennis Elbow
- Thigh Fractures
- Thigh Muscle Strains
- Thumb Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries
- Total Ankle Replacement
- Total Hip Arthroplasty
- Total Hip Replacement - Anterior Approach
- Total Knee Replacement Surgery
- Trapezius Strain (Muscle Strain of The Upper Back)
- Traumatic Shoulder Instability
- Triceps Tendonitis
- Trigger Finger
- Turf Toe
- UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) Injuries
- Ulnar Neuritis
- Valgus Extension Overload
- Vertebroplasty
- WALANT (Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet)
- Whiplash and Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD)
- Wound Care
- Wrist Arthroscopy
- Wrist Fractures
- Wrist Tendonitis
Services
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
- Physical Therapy
- Primary Care Sports Medicine
- PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures)
- Same-Day Orthopaedic Appointments Now Available
- Sports Medicine
- Sports-Related Concussion Treatment
- Telehealth Page
- Telemedicine
- Workers' Compensation
- Workers' Compensation Dispensary
- X-Ray