Does anyone know or have any children with hammer toes?
I noticed my daughter has these calouses on the joint of her toes. Is there any early correction?

My son has a "flexible" or mallet hammertoe which means it could be liveable IF he does what my foot doctor suggested. My son has a few more years before his bones are "set" (he is 14) and the foot doctor said he should bend the toe straight as much as he can to keep it pliable. His toe is bent at the first joint not the second. It's only his second toe on each foot. the toe could also be taped straight.

Here is some info I got from the web:
Hammetoes are diagnosed by observing the contracted and deformed position of the toes. They can also be identified by painful corns and calluses that are often associated with them.

Hammertoe affects both joints of a toe — causing the toe to bend upwards at the proximal joint (the joint closest to the foot) and down at the distal joint (the one fartherest away from the foot). The resulting unnatural bend is often compared to an upside down "V" and also to a hammer or a claw (The condition is sometimes referred to as clawtoe or clawfoot). A similar condition, in which the first joint of a toe simply bends downward, is called mallet toe.

Since the arched bending of hammertoe often causes the toe to rub against the top of the shoe's toe box and against the sole, painful corns and calluses develop on the toes.

Hammertoe can also be a result of squeezing within a too-small or ill-fitting shoe or wearing high heels that jam your toes into a tight toe box inside your shoe, arthritis, trauma and muscle and nerve damage from diseases such as diabetes.

Treatment can be as simple as selecting roomy socks and shoes with enough toe space to prevent knuckles from rubbing against the shoe material. Also, the areas that rub can be cushioned with corn pads to prevent calluses and blisters. Flexible hammertoes can sometimes be straightened out by splinting them for several months. Occasionally, the contraction of the toes can be controlled by using arch supports and prescription shoe inserts. When conservative measures fail to bring relief, the toes can be straightened surgically. This operation often has good results.



[This message has been edited by sawbuck44 (edited 10-01-2003).]