Moving and maintaining your equilibrium is primarily down to your toes. However, trauma and continuous stress can cause deformities and damage your toes. Rotated toes are also frequent as one of the most prevalent forefoot abnormalities. Walking might be painful and unsteady if you have a rotated toe.
If you have hammer toes, various choices might ease your agony. The causes and treatments for rotated toes will be discussed below.
What is a Rotated Toe?
When the toe curls under itself instead of pointing forward, you have a deformity known as a rotated toe. Any of the toes on your foot are at risk for developing this deformity. The second or third toe is typically affected. Although rotated toes can be present from birth, they are most commonly acquired due to arthritis or the prolonged use of poorly fitting shoes (such as those with sharp heels) that cause the toes to become crooked. A rotated toe may usually be fixed with the right care.
Can Rotated Toes be Treated?
The good news is that hammer toes are quite easy to treat, with various options available to reduce discomfort, straighten the toe, or both.
Early Therapy
A rotated toe should be treated as soon as possible after its onset. Since the toe joint is more pliable initially, it is more amenable to therapy. These treatments will not improve the look of your toe once the joint has grown stiff, nor will they alleviate discomfort or pressure. Consider the following options:
- Wearing the correct shoes is one of the most important things you can do for your toes. Choose a pair of shoes, sandals, or other footwear with a roomy toe box. Choose a “wide fit” if you have the option. Don’t wear shoes that are too constricting or high.
- Since rotated toes develop when the extrinsic muscles are more powerful than the intrinsic ones, strengthening the foot’s intrinsic muscles may help alleviate the condition. A fun technique to achieve this is to practise picking up and dropping marbles (or other tiny, spherical objects) with your toes. Gentle toe workouts, such as towel curls, can also help.
- Get some shoe cushions if you suffer from bunions. Reduce the pressure on your toes by treating and cushioning any bunions or calluses you may have.
- If you have flat feet, consider insoles and arch support. Your toes will thank you for these.
- Toe splints and kinesiology tape can be used to aid in stretching the toes. Taping your feet in a natural posture has been shown to aid in stretching over time.
- People with diabetes should maintain regular assessments of their foot health. This will help avoid and treat hammer toes along with other ailments.
If you want to be sure you’re using these goods properly and choosing the ones that will work best for you, it’s advisable to consult a podiatrist. A note of medical necessity provided by a podiatrist may also be submitted to your insurance company.
Later Treatment
Surgery may be necessary to correct a rotated toe, alleviate discomfort, and restore normal toe function if the deformity has become rigid and painful to straighten. Removing tendons, transferring limbs, and fusing joints are all common operations.
These interventions often require local anaesthetic and take a short time. Patients suffering from non-flexible rotated toes report considerable symptom improvement following these operations.
The Takeaway
There is growing evidence that massaging the pressure points in your foot has health benefits. And regardless of what the scientific community says, it feels great! Have fun experimenting with different pressures and positions to find what feels best. People with diabetes should seek medical advice for rotated toes before getting a massage since the pressure might exacerbate existing nerve damage. To be sure, feet can take a hammering, and a good deep massage may make them feel so amazing that you think about all your other aches and discomforts.
