How to Find Lasting Hammertoe Relief
Mar 05, 2026
A hammertoe is a toe that bends abnormally at the middle joint, giving it a curved, claw-like shape. It most commonly affects the second, third, or fourth toe. In the early stages, you might notice that your toe looks a bit “too bent” or feels stiff.
But as a hammertoe deformity progresses, it can cause pain, especially when wearing shoes. The bent joint can rub against the inside of your footwear, leading to corns, calluses, swelling, and soreness that make walking uncomfortable.
At South Texas Foot Surgeons, PA, in San Antonio and Kerrville, Texas, our expert team provides a full scope of treatment options for hammertoe. Here, we explain what causes this common deformity, how we treat it, and why preventing its recurrence is key to lasting relief.
Footwear is one of the most common causes of hammertoe. Shoes that are too tight, too narrow, or have high heels push your toes into a cramped position for hours at a time. Over the years, that pressure can start changing the structure of the toe.
If you have flat feet, high arches, or a second toe that’s longer than your big toe, you’re more likely to develop hammertoe. Arthritis, nerve damage from conditions like diabetes, and previous toe injuries can also contribute to its development. Sometimes, it runs in the family.
For a hammertoe that’s still flexible, non-surgical treatments can help. Switching to shoes with a wider toe box gives your toes room to spread out and takes pressure off the joint.
Toe exercises and stretches can help maintain flexibility and strengthen the surrounding muscles. Splints, toe straps, or custom orthotics can also hold the toe in a straighter position and slow the progression.
When the hammertoe is rigid or causing significant pain that hasn’t responded to conservative care strategies, surgery is the most effective solution. In some cases, we release or reposition the tendons to rebalance the toe to help it lie flat. In more advanced cases, we may remove a small piece of bone from the joint or fuse the bones together to straighten the toe permanently.
Even after surgery, hammertoe can reoccur if the factors that caused it haven’t been addressed. If you’re still wearing tight shoes every day, or you have an underlying structural issue that hasn’t been corrected, the deformity may redevelop.
Stick with shoes that have plenty of room in the toe box and avoid high heels as much as possible. If your foot structure is contributing to the problem, custom orthotics can help by redistributing pressure more evenly across your foot and keeping your toes in a healthier position. Our team can fit you for orthotics that are made specifically for your feet.
Keeping up with toe exercises after recovery from surgery is also important. Strengthening the muscles around the joint helps maintain the correction and supports the toe in its new position. Stretching your toes daily and using your bare feet actively — instead of letting them sit in stiff shoes all day — can make a real difference over time.
Just as importantly, routine follow-up visits with our team allow us to spot signs of recurrence early, before they progress and become more complicated to treat.
A hammertoe deformity won’t fix itself, and delaying your trip to the podiatrist usually makes it harder to treat. Whether you’re in the early stages or you’ve been dealing with pain for some time, contact your nearest South Texas Foot Surgeons, PA, office in San Antonio or Kerrville, Texas, to schedule an evaluation today.