Foot doctor in Worcester
If you have a hammertoe, you will definitely want to be seen by one of our expert podiatrists. A hammertoe can be either a fixed hammertoe or a rigid hammertoe. Once a hammertoe becomes rigid, it most likely will need to be treated with surgery. For this reason you will want to come in to see our foot doctor in Worcester as soon as you see the hammertoe is developing.
Just one of our expert podiatrists is Dr. Carol A. Barrette. Many patients visit our podiatry practice, Premier Foot & Ankle Center, LLC when they need treatment of a hammertoe. When you have a hammertoe it means that you have a dislocation of a joint. A hammertoe can appear on any of the toes, and will take the appearance of an upside down “V” when looked at from the side. However, hammertoes are most common on the smaller toes, and not on the big toe. When a hammertoe first develops, it is called a flexible hammer toe because it can still be moved at the joint. If left to develop, however, a flexible hammertoe can become rigid. This often occurs in patients who suffer with arthritis. Our foot doctor in Worcester will be able to provide you with early treatment which will help ensure that a flexible hammertoe does not become a rigid hammertoe.
If you see that you are developing a hammertoe, we encourage you to make an appointment to come into our podiatry practice where our foot doctor in Worcester will be able to provide you with treatment. When a hammertoe becomes rigid, the joint has tightened and becomes misaligned and immobile. At this point, generally surgery is needed to correct the problem. There are different causes for a hammertoe, including wearing shoes that are too tight. You may know that a hammertoe is developing if you have redness and swelling at a joint, a joint becomes painful or restricted in motion, or you have the formation of corns on the top of the joint. Our foot doctor will x-ray the affected area, and then recommend a specific type of treatment. Sometimes padding and taping are the first steps in treatment to minimize pain and to allow the patient to continue with their daily activities. Anti-inflammatory medications and cortisone injections can also ease pain and inflammation. Our doctor can also provide custom orthotic devices to help control foot function and prevent worsening of the hammertoe. In the most serious cases, our doctor needs to perform foot surgery to restore normal alignment of the toe joint and eliminate pain.
By Premier Foot and Ankle Center, LLC September 9, 2016
