Hammertoe

One of the most common conditions affecting the foot and usually stemming from muscle imbalance, in which the toe is bent into a contracted claw-like position. It occurs most frequently with the second toe, often when a bunion abuts and underlaps the toe, but any of the other three smaller toes can be affected. It can lead to painful corns, rubbing of the skin in shoes, wounds and general shoe fitting problems. Depending on the severity of the condition, conservative treatment is often ineffective and thus surgical correction is often necessary. This can include simply releasing a tendon in the toe, but often requires excising a small portion of bone.