Home Treatment

Home treatment is an important part of caring for hammer, claw, and mallet toes.

For fixed or flexible toe joint deformities:

• Change your footwear. Shoes should be roomy, with wide and deep toe boxes (the area that surrounds the toes), low heels, and good arch supports. This provides room for your toe to straighten. One option is to wear custom-made shoes or shoes made for people who have foot problems.

  Foot Problems: Finding the Right Shoes

• Wear moleskin, pads, arch supports, or other orthotic shoe inserts. These products cushion the toe or hold the foot and toes in a more comfortable position. They are better for treating a flexible deformity, but they can also provide some relief for a fixed deformity. Your health professional can show you how to put the pads or inserts in your shoe.
• Care for any calluses or corns that you have on your toes or feet. Moleskin and other nonprescription treatments for corns or calluses may help relieve pain and burning. Never cut corns or calluses, because this can lead to infection. See home treatment for calluses or corns.

Nonsurgical treatment specifically for flexible toe joint deformities includes:

• Taping or splinting hammer toes into place. Wrap tape under the big toe (or the toe next to the hammer toe), then over the hammer toe, and then under the next toe, gently forcing the hammer toe into a normal position. You may use a splint for the same purpose. Wrapping a toe does not straighten the toe permanently.
• Using toe caps or toe slings. These hold toes in a normal position, much like wrapping the toes with tape.
• Doing stretching exercises that help keep the toe joints flexible so that you can bend and straighten them. To do stretching exercises, gently pull on your toes to stretch the bent joints in the other direction, and hold the stretch for several seconds at a time. For example, if a joint bends up, gently stretch it down. Work on just one joint at a time. You should feel a long, slow, gentle pulling. Do this stretching several times in the morning and several times in the evening. To work on strength, try putting a towel flat under your feet and using your toes to crumple it and using your toes to pick up things, such as marbles. Your doctor, nurse, or physical therapist may be able to recommend more exercises.

If your hammer, claw, or mallet toe is severe or very painful, it may be better to stop wearing shoes and wear only sandals that don't press on painful areas. If you can't wear sandals, you can cut holes in your footwear to ease painful rubbing.

If you have nerve injury caused by diabetes, poor circulation, or advanced rheumatoid arthritis, talk to your doctor or nurse about special shoes that both protect your feet and prevent toe problems.

To relieve pain, try:

• Acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen. Check with your doctor before taking these medicines.
• Soaking your toes in warm and then cold water (contrast baths) for temporary relief, 2 or 3 times a day. If a foot or toe is numb, take care when you use warm water.

When to call your doctor

If your pain does not go away or increases after 2 to 3 weeks of home treatment, or if you develop sores on any of your affected toes, contact your doctor.