Claw Toe: Curled Under Digits | Next Step Foot & Ankle Clinic (2024)

FAQs

What neurological disease causes claw toes? ›

Most people have no underlying disease responsible for the claw toe deformity, but it can occur in association with neuromuscular diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Friedreich ataxia, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, cerebral palsy, mild dysplasia, stroke, and lumbar nerve-root impingement.

This depends entirely on the cause of your curly toes and their severity, but you podiatrist can talk you through various natural options such as working on any tight muscles and tendons in the foot that may be causing the curling.

There are both non-surgical and surgical treatments for claw toes. Most of them you can do at home. Non-surgical treatments for claw toes include: Wearing shoes that have roomy toe boxes, low heels and good arch support.

A severe foot injury can cause your toe to curl inward. Other reasons for curled toes are strokes or nerve damage, arthritis and diabetes that can cause systematic conditions and many more. However, curled toes should be treated as it can lead to complications, difficulty and pain in mobility.

Neurological Conditions That Affect Feet

There are many reasons that foot and ankle issue develop and underlying neurological conditions are one of them. These include such issues as peripheral neuropathy, cerebral palsy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and certain toe deformities like hammertoe, mallet toe, and claw toe.

Arthritis mutilans is a rare form of psoriatic arthritis. It typically affects your fingers and toes, deforming and curling them in a condition called s, or pencil-in-cup deformity.

The term hammertoe is almost synonymous with claw toes. The main difference between these two conditions is the position of the MTP joint (in hammertoes this joint is not displaced). However, it is very difficult to clinically differentiate between the two, so they are often used interchangeably.

If you have crooked toes, you can treat them with pads that keep the toes properly aligned and by wearing shoes that give your toes lots of space in the toe box. You can get special, fitted shoes prescribed if you need to. “In cases where these treatments do not work, there are several surgical options,” Dr.

He or she may use one or more techniques to correct the position of the toe. The most common technique is a surgical release, or lengthening, of the tendons or ligaments that are causing the toe muscles to stay contracted, resulting in the hammertoe.

Most cases respond well to exercise, physical therapy, and footwear changes. However, surgery is worth it for those with chronic pain. Of course, there are risks with any surgery. A common risk is the possibility of the hammertoe recurring.

How do you flatten a claw toe? ›

The non-weight bearing period can last 4 weeks after surgery. In some cases, the surgeon will remove pins after 4 weeks. From 4 weeks to the 12-week mark, patients can apply some weight on the toe. Most patients can resume activities after 12 weeks.

The joint of the toe that is closest to the ankle is bent upward, and the other joints are bent downward. The toe looks like a claw. Claw toe is a deformity of the foot in which the toes are pointed down and the arch is high, making the foot appear claw-like.

Stretch out your toes regularly to relax tightened tissues. Balance this with exercises to work the muscles in your toes. Strengthening the digits can help you straighten your digits back out again overtime.

Older toes have a propensity toward curling into "claw toes" because of muscle imbalance. And older people — especially older women — are prone to developing bunions, a misalignment of the bones in the big toe that causes the end of the metatarsal bone at the base of the toe to angle out.

Claw toes may be caused by a nerve problem in the legs or a spinal cord problem or signs of arthritis. The cause is unknown in many cases. Most of the time, claw toes are not harmful by themselves. Rarely, they may be the first sign of a more serious disease of the nervous system.

Claw toes may be caused by a nerve problem in the legs or a spinal cord problem or signs of arthritis. The cause is unknown in many cases. Most of the time, claw toes are not harmful by themselves. Rarely, they may be the first sign of a more serious disease of the nervous system.

There may be cramping in the feet and/or curling of the toes. There may be weakness and loss of stability in the feet and legs.

Consistent muscle twitching that results in toe curling or clenching is called dystonia. Neuropathy happens when nerves are damaged. This can be caused by injury, overexertion of foot muscles, or conditions that can cause toxic substances to build up, such as diabetes or kidney disease.