Easy Exercises To Fix Hammer Toe

If you have a hammer toe, you must practice exercises that will help you repair and restore the feeling, shape, and functionality of your toes. These exercises are easy to do at home and just require a few minutes each day.

Toe Crunch:

One of the most significant hammer toe workouts is the toe crunch. It entails pulling the tip of the toe to the base using the middle joint of the toe. Make sure you're sitting in a decent, comfortable chair. Then, place a cloth beneath the upper portion of your affected foot. Keep your heel firmly planted on the ground and crunch the towel up with your toes. Repeat the practice once you've reached the end of the towel. Repeat the exercise 10 to 12 times. You can add some resistance by placing an item on the end of the towel.

Manual Hammer Toe Stretching:

You can also stretch your toes with a cloth. Sit on the ground with your legs fully extended and a towel wrapped over your toes. Hold the towel ends with your hands and draw the toes in towards you. Maintain this position for 20-30 seconds. You can also try pulling your toes with your hands instead of a towel.

Toe Taps:

This hammer toe exercise stretches the joint. While sitting in a comfortable chair, gradually extend the big toe towards the floor while attempting to point the other toes up. Hold that position for approximately a second before gently tapping them back down to the floor. Rep 10-12 times, then reverse the procedure by gently pushing the big toe up while keeping the other toes on the floor.

Hammer Toe Finger Splint:

The Hammer Toe Finger Splint is also known as a "squeeze" since it includes using the fingers to create small cracks between the toes to stretch them. Sit in a comfortable position, then raise one foot and rest it on your opposite thigh. Then, softly slide your fingers between your toes, pinching your fingers to squeeze your toes together. 12 times through the exercise. If you want, you can do each toe at the same time by putting one finger between them and pinching.

Rolls:

This hammer-toe workout involves softly tapping the toes on the ground from one side to the other. First, stand barefoot on a flat place and try lifting all of your toes off the ground while keeping your heel planted. Now, one by one, softly place your toes on the surface, beginning with the little and ending with the large. Repeat the exercise ten times before moving in the opposite direction.

Treating Hammertoe:

Unless the hammertoe has developed to the point where surgery is required, modest conservative therapies are advised in the first instance. These could include:

• To relieve pain and decrease inflammation you can use anti-inflammatory medicines 

• In more severe cases, a podiatrist may advise you to take cortisone injection to help relieve pain and inflammation

• Physical therapy can help stretch the tight muscles and tendons that cause hammertoe. Exercises like the one above are frequently recommended.

• A biomechanical specialist can design and build a personalized insole to alleviate discomfort and prevent deformity progression.

• Splints and pads can help to straighten the damaged hammer toe and alleviate discomfort when walking in shoes.

Conclusion

If you have severe pain because of your hammertoes, it may be a good idea to seek professional help. An experienced foot doctor may recommend you undergo one of the popular surgeries:

• Tendon transfer

• Joint resection

• Fusion

• Amputation

But remember: hammer toe may not require surgery. Home remedies, such as changing shoes and doing toe exercises, are frequently effective.

An orthopedic surgeon or podiatrist can assist a person in correcting the condition before surgery is required, therefore anyone suffering hammer toe symptoms should consult their doctor before allowing it to worsen.