Mallet, hammer and claw toes are all toe deformities that are usually caused by improper footwear. Besides deformities, other symptoms include redness and swelling, calluses, corns, and pain. There are both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options available for these toe conditions. Normally, surgical options are not considered unless the deformity is severe or if nonsurgical treatments are unsuccessful. ANATOMY. Hammer toe, mallet toe and claw toe are conditions where the toes are abnormally bent in different ways although there is some degree of overlap. It is important to understand the relevant anatomy of the toes to differentiate between these three conditions. Five thin long bones (metatarsals) extend across most of the foot to then articulate with thin shorter bones (phalanges) that make up the toe. All toes have three phalanx bones (phalanges) except the big toe which has only two. These three bones from the metatarsals to the tip of the toes are known as the proximal, middle and distal phalang. Are mallets and hammers the same thing? Will they both do the same job? The answers may surprise you   Hammers are firstly designed to hit nails. They can be used to drive nails through all sorts of materials, though they are mostly used on wood. They have a face on one side, which is flat and designed to hit things with. There are many causes of hammer or mallet toe including: Shoes that do not fit properly such as high-heeled shoes that do not have a proper toe box. An impact such as jamming and breaking the toe can cause hammer toe or mallet toe. Imbalanced toe muscles can cause toes to contract. Hammertoe and mallet toe are both mild deformities of the toes. Often they get lumped together because in both cases the toes bend downward, but if looked at closely, there is a subtle difference. Mallet, hammer and claw toes are all toe deformities that are often caused by wearing shoes that do not fit properly. When shoes do not fit, the toe muscles are forced to remain in a fixed position. Over time, these muscles will lose their ability to stretch out, resulting in these toe deformities.
Never cut corns or calluses, because this can lead to infection. Hammers can be used for far more things than a mallet. All rights reserved. Author: Healthwise Staff. Alternatively if you want help working out what is wrong and what you can do about it, visit the foot pain diagnosis section. Toe deformities usually develop slowly from wearing poor fitting shoes, but can also be due to muscle or nerve damage. Tight shoes are the most common cause of these toe problems.

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