Many people seek the help of their doctor in hopes of fixing their hammertoes. It is common for podiatrists to receive patients who want to do something about their “ugly toes.” In truth, hammertoes can also be quite uncomfortable when they lead to such thing as corns, calluses, and swelling. The good news is surgery can be performed if necessary.
Depending on what stage the deformity is in, a hammertoe can be either flexible, semi-rigid and/or rigid. When they become painful, normally, after they have the reached the rigid state, hammertoe surgery will be necessary to alleviate the problem.
Different Types of Hammertoe Surgery
Surgeries to correct hammertoes do not require an overnight stay at a hospital. The procedure can be done as an out-patient, where you go home after completion of the procedure. Prior to the procedure, local anesthetic and/or mild sedation is administered to allow you to sleep through the procedure. The surgery entails a small incision on the top of the toe and either a soft tissue correction, digital arthroplasty (removal of a small piece of bone), and/or digital arthrodesis (joint fusion).
Soft tissue corrective surgery redirects the tendons and joint capsule of your toe which will correct the position.
Digital arthroplasty involves correcting the soft tissue and removing a piece of bone in order to straighten the toe.
Digital arthrodesis techniques involved fusing two bones together in order to straighten the toe.
Often hammertoe surgery requires a mental wire or other implant to be inserted into the toe that will hold it into place while it heals. The end result will be a straightened toe.
How Long Does it Take to Recover from Hammertoe Surgery?
Recovery is patient dependent and compliance dependent, on average most people wear a surgical shoe for approximately 3 weeks.
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