Symptoms of claw toes

In the presence of claw toes, the basic joints are overstretched. while the metatarsophalangeal joint of the toe and the end joint of the toe are flexed. There may be purely cosmetic problems with the toes.

In the case of claw toes, sometimes quite pronounced malalignments are very painless, while minor malalignments are very painful, which can considerably reduce the quality of life. It is not possible to draw conclusions from the degree of malpositioning and the complaints. Overall, the deformity of the claw toe increases slowly but steadily over time.

Due to the malpositioning of the toes, the foot is statically incorrectly loaded. Due to this incorrect loading, pressure points often develop which can become inflamed. In the case of the claw toe, the toes become shorter due to the incorrect loading, but take up more space in the arch of the foot.

The middle joint of the toe in particular touches the shoe cover. If a chronic pressure point develops, the skin thickens and a cornification (clavus) develops. If the malpositioning of the feet persists for a long time, the toes stiffen in the malpositioning, in their appearance they appear downright crippled.

The malpositioning can lead to a superimpositioning of different toes. In individual cases, the toes slip completely out of the base joint (luxation), and this does not allow the toes to function properly. Pain in claw toes occurs mainly when there are pressure points on the toe joints.

Due to the claw-like malpositioning, pressure is constantly exerted on the protruding bone parts when wearing closed shoes. This leads to hornification. These so-called corns often form a horny cone (keratoconus) that reaches to the inside and can cause very strong pain due to an irritation of the periosteum.Therefore, the best way to prevent or treat such complaints is to take action against the causative claw toes.

Depending on the extent of the problem, various non-surgical options are available. Often, however, these are not sufficient and only an operation on the claw toes can relieve the pain in the long term. Painful corns should also be counteracted by regular foot care and not too tight shoes.

Painful horny calluses are called corns or clavus, which are caused by constant pressure on skin close to the bone and often occur due to claw toes in the area of the toe joints. Due to the malpositioning of the toes, pressure is constantly exerted on these areas when wearing shoes, so that corns often form. In addition to appropriate treatment of the causative claw toes, corns can be treated or prevented by various measures.

It is important to care for them regularly yourself or have them cared for as part of a pedicure. It is important to carefully remove excessive calluses, to keep the nails in shape and, in case of dry skin, to cream the feet regularly. In the case of acute painful pressure points, the temporary application of a protective bandage can be useful to relieve the pressure. This might be of interest to you: Treatment of corns