Can a Hammertoe Change My Gait?

Walking is a basic function we depend on, but there are many different issues that can affect our ability to do it. There are many problems that affect your lower body that can alter how you walk, like arthritis, injuries, and infection, balance issues that make this difficult, like inner ear infections, psychological disorders, and nervous system issues like stroke or cerebral palsy. All of these things affect what is known as your gait, which is literally your normal walking pattern, and getting it back to normal means understanding what’s wrong with it.

Hammertoe is a common foot deformity that forces toes out of place and into a curled shape, leading to discomfort, pain, and irritation. But how does it affect your gait? Let’s answer this and other questions by examining basic facts about hammertoe, its effect on how you walk, and what can be done to treat it.

If you live in the Fort Worth or Weatherford, Texas, area and you have hammertoes or other foot problems, Drs. Gary Driver, Glen Beede, Gregory Jaryga, and their experienced team at Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists can help.

Facts about hammertoes

This condition affects the shape of your toe joints, which usually lie flat but are forced out of their normal position, causing them to cramp and point up. It’s a common enough foot problem to make up around 20% of them and come in different types, such as:

• Flexible: toes are still bendable, but the curl is forming
• Semi-rigid: toes are much stiffer and harder to uncurl
• Rigid: toes are frozen in the curled position and require surgical intervention to treat

This problem is common in your second toe, and severe cases may make that toe appear to have an upside-down v-shape, which some say resembles a hammer. You can also expect to feel pain on the top of or the ball of the affected toe, trouble moving that toe, corns and calluses, skin discoloration, and swelling.

Its effect on how you walk

Mild cases of hammertoe are not bad enough to affect your gait but will likely be uncomfortable. Gait problems do share common causes with hammertoes; however, they include poorly fitting shoes, injury, and arthritis, and the corns and calluses that come with hammertoes can affect how you walk. But overall, the more severe that problem (semi-rigid to rigid), the more likely it will significantly affect your gait. Severe problems aren’t common but shouldn’t be overlooked.

How it can be treated

Depending on the severity of the toe, multiple options exist for treating it. Mild to semi-rigid cases are often managed by avoiding shoes that are too tight and narrow, using footwear that accommodates the toe, exercising to strengthen and stretch the muscles in the foot, and using cushions, pads, and straps to relieve pain. When the toe becomes too rigid, a few surgeries can help with joint fusion, tendon transfer, and tendon lengthening. Recovery can take up to 6 weeks.

Hammertoes can affect how you walk, but how much will depend on your condition. To find out the best way to treat your hammertoe, make an appointment with Drs. Driver, Beede, Jaryga, and Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists today.