Get Your Feet Ready for Spring: What to Do About Hammertoe

Wintertime in Utah comes with some perks. The scenery gets blanketed in white snow, beautifying the area. If you ski or snowboard, you get the chance to hit the slopes. And if you don’t love the way your feet look, you can cover them up.

The winter is melting away, though. As spring approaches, your excuse to wear closed-toed shoes starts to fall away, too. If you have a hammertoe, that might be particularly unwelcome news. 

Let this be your push to do something about your toe. The longer a hammertoe goes untreated, the more challenging it is to correct. 

At Rogers Foot & Ankle Institute in American Fork and Saratoga Springs, Utah, our team can evaluate your toe and develop a personalized plan to straighten it. 

Why you should treat hammertoe now

If your abnormally bent toe bothers you cosmetically, we hope that it nudges you into one of our offices. 

If you don’t think your hammertoe is a big deal, you shouldn’t just live with it. Hammertoe is a progressive condition. Without treatment, it worsens over time. 

It might start with your toe looking different. Then, as the toe bend becomes more pronounced, it starts to rub on the top of your shoe. The discomfort can grow, causing you to change the way you walk. 

Those changes can strain your foot, contributing to problems like plantar fasciitis, foot ulcers if you’re diabetic, and more. 

Whether you want to get ready for sandal season or you want to avoid bigger foot issues in the future, now’s the time to address your hammertoe.

What you can do about hammertoe

Hammertoe won’t heal on its own. You need to take action to fix the problem and to stop it from getting worse. 

If we catch it early, we can usually straighten the toe with nonsurgical options. That often means:

• Choosing shoes with ample room in the toe box
• Adding inserts to your shoes (orthotics) to support proper toe alignment
• Strengthening the muscles in your toe with targeted exercises
• Splinting, strapping, taping, or padding the toe to help it lie flat

If your hammertoe has become rigid, you might need surgery to correct the problem. Our team can help you determine what type of surgery best suits your needs.

Don’t let your hammertoe keep you out of sandals and become a progressively bigger problem in your life. 

To get your feet ready for spring and to protect them from growing discomfort, come see our team. We can develop a personalized hammertoe treatment plan for you. Contact us by calling (801) 756-4200 today.