Dr. Joel Foster Explains Why You Shouldn’t Put Off Hammer Toe Treatment
You wince as you slip on your favorite shoes, your bent toes protesting against the confines of your footwear. But what if those crooked digits weren't the lifelong sentence you feared? What if the path to straight, pain-free toes was smoother than you ever imagined?
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to suffer with each step. As an experienced foot and ankle specialist in Lee's Summit, Dr. Joel Foster has good news: your hammer toes are likely easier to fix than you think.
1. Early Intervention Can Prevent Rigid Deformity
When you notice the first signs of toe bending, you should make an appointment with a podiatrist ASAP. At this stage, your toes can still be manually straightened and we can reduce the risk of them becoming rigidly deformed.
At our Lee’s Summit office, we offer a range of early intervention techniques for patients throughout the Kansas City metro area.
- Shoe gear. We can recommend shoe gear that can provide support and help prevent your condition from worsening.
- Taping or splinting techniques. Strategic taping or splinting can help hold your toe in the correct position, gradually encouraging it to straighten.
- Custom orthotics. These specially designed shoe inserts can redistribute pressure on your feet—alleviating stress on your toes and promoting proper alignment.
2. Conservative Hammer Toe Treatment Options Are Easy to Incorporate into Your Daily Routine
Gone are the days when "dealing with it" was your only option for hammer toes. Today's conservative treatments have evolved, offering significant relief and even helping to correct mild deformities.
Some of the conservative treatments we offer include:
- Specially designed padding. These can redistribute pressure away from the affected toe, reducing pain and preventing further deformity.
- Innovative shoe modifications. We can recommend shoes that provide extra room in the toe box, reducing pressure on your hammer toes.
3. Minimally Invasive Surgery Gets You Back on Your Feet With Less Pain
Nobody enjoys the thought of surgery, but hammer toe correction is no longer the time-consuming ordeal it once was. Dr. Foster, as the only board-certified minimally invasive surgeon in the Kansas City region, offers state-of-the-art, minimally invasive procedures that can straighten your toes with less pain, faster healing, and no need for pins or screws.
The advanced surgical techniques Dr. Foster uses offer several advantages compared to the traditional approaches to hammer toe correction.
- Smaller incisions. This means less scarring and reduced risk of infection.
- Quicker recovery. Many patients can walk immediately after the procedure.
- Less post-operative pain. Smaller incisions often translate to less discomfort during healing.
- Preservation of toe function. These techniques aim to correct the deformity while maintaining as much natural toe movement as possible.
With these minimally invasive options, hammer toe correction becomes a much less daunting prospect. If you’re worried about the impact on your budget, minimally invasive surgery is often less expensive than traditional open surgery.
To keep costs down even further, our office uses a direct model of care that avoids the red tape and added expense that comes from dealing with insurance companies. Our prices for all products and services are posted online, so you know exactly what your financial obligation will be.