Overlapping Toes

What are Overlapping Toes?

If you have overlapping toes it is likely you have hammer toes. This term refers to toes that appear crooked or mis-shapen. They are sometimes referred to as clawed toes, crooked toes or mallet toes and can occur regardless of age. The abnormality occurs on the toe rather than at the ball of the joint at the foot – like bunions.   The condition can potentially lead to severe pressure and pain as the ligaments and tendons tighten causing the toe's joints to curl downwards.

Hammer toes may occur in any toe except the big toe. There is often discomfort at the top part of the toe due to rubbing against the shoe.

Hammer toes are classified based on the mobility of the toe joints. There are two types - flexible and rigid. In a flexible hammer toe, the joint has the ability to move. This type of hammer toe can be straightened manually. A rigid hammer toe does not have that same ability to move. Movement is very limited and can be extremely painful. This sometimes causes foot movement to become restricted leading to extra stress at the ball-of-the-foot, and possibly causing pain and the development of corns and calluses.

Symptoms of Overlapping Toes:

Hammer Toes can be identified by calluses. Due to the unusual shaping of the toe(s), they are prone to rubbing on footwear – as such corns and ulcers can be identified as symptoms.

You will also feel more pressure in the feet as the tendons on the bottom of the foot tighten to stabilise. When this happens the toes pull back, making the middle joints on each toe become more prominent – the end result of this combination is Hammer Toe.

Causes of Overlapping Toes:

Hammer toes result from a muscle imbalance which causes the ligaments and tendons to become unnaturally tight. This results in the joint curling downward. Hammer toes can occur over time, as do to other conditions such as flat feet or Arthritis but they can also be down to genetics.  Other common causes include ill fitting footwear that places undue pressure on the toes or high arched feet where the tendon on the top of the foot pulls back on the toes.

Relief and Prevention of Overlapping Toes:

Changing the type of footwear worn is a very important step in the treatment of hammer toes. When choosing a shoe, make sure the toe box (toe area) is high and broad, and can accommodate the hammer toes. A shoe with a high, broad toe box will provide enough room in the forefoot area so that there is less friction against the toes.

Other conservative treatments include using forefoot products designed to relieve hammer toes, such as hammer toe crests and hammer toe splints. These devices will help hold down the hammer toe and provide relief to the forefoot. Gel toe shields and gel toe caps are also recommended to eliminate friction between the shoe and the toe, while providing comfort and lubrication.