Anatom3DHammer toe and claw toe
Digitus malleus · Kladívkový a drápovitý prst
What it is
Toes bent at the middle joint and rubbing on shoes — from tight footwear, a bunion or muscle imbalance.
Symptoms & signs
- Toe bent up at the middle joint
- corns on top of the toe
- pain in the ball of the foot
- stiffness
🚩 Get help if…
- call 112 / 911 now Toe turning black or cold
- see a doctor soon Red, hot or pus-filled sore over a bent toe
- see a doctor soon Any sore on the foot in someone with diabetes
- see a doctor soon Pain that stops you walking despite wider shoes
Where it strikes
Medical treatment
- Wider, deeper shoes
- toe pads and splints
- corn care by a podiatrist
- surgery (tendon release or joint fusion)
Natural & lifestyle
- Toe-stretching and towel-gripping exercises
- no high heels
Emerging & experimental
- Absorbable implants
- minimally invasive osteotomy
Alternative, off-label & anecdotal
Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.
- Toe separators — comfortable; untested anecdotal / traditional
- Toe exercises — plausible while the toes are flexible early / small studies
- Herbal corn plasters — can burn the skin anecdotal / traditional
ICD codes
- ICD-10 M20.4
- ICD-11 FA30.2 Acquired hammer toe