Hammer Toe, Claw Toe, Mallet Toe, Cross Toe and Foot Pain – Part 2

Picture a 4 legged chair with only three legs touching the floor – its unstable and unsafe.

Next, think of your foot like a five digit basket ball team with one player, (Toeny) unable to play because of an injury. Over the course of a lifetime, playing a five toe game with a 4 toe team isn’t going to go end well. The four toes are over worked trying to do an impossible job, accomplishing what 5 guys were designed to do. The game breaks down quickly. Just one toe not functioning (for up to decades) is a major compounding factor in weakness and decline of the entire musculo-skelatel system’s capabilities and safety. Everything impacts everything, especially when the foundation (feet) are the primary point of breakdown. “For want of a nail the kingdom was lost” ( google it ).

Another simple analogy;  picture of a tug of war where one side wins constantly, or a playground “see saw” with one side always heaver than the the other. Muscles on the flexion side of the Hammer toe (bottom side) being stronger than the extension side of the toe (top). This imbalance results in a constantly bent (flexed) toe. The top of the toe rises when flexed. To make matters worse the raised toe knuckle typically is in contact with the top, inside of the shoe experiencing constant pressure and irritation and resulting in another problem.

Cause of  toe muscle imbalance

By far the most common cause of muscle imbalance in toes is too much time in shoes and not enough bare foot time. The worst shoes are shoes with pointed toes, shoes that are too short, or high heels. These conditions will force your toe against the front of the shoe, pushing the toe back and bending the joints up.

Hammertoe can also result from trauma and in some cases, hammertoes have a genetic predisposition. In these cases all the more reason to start taking good care of your wheels early on with toe stretching and exercise!

Repairing bent toes

To rescue and repair toes we use the same tools to straighten a curved spine or repositioning forward sloping shoulders. It’s all about stretching and strengthening muscles to change the posture of your toes. These are the same principles Hatha Yoga brings to the rest of the body to maintain and return it to natural, healthy posture. Yes! Yoga Toe posture!

To fix toes requires being sincere about it and there are major reasons why you do want to halt and reverse claw & hammer toe evolution.

First – Pain! Hammer toe pain cuts into everything you do on your feet …or would like to do. Constant often intense irritation every time you wear shoes. Second is inflammation,  burning and possible infection leading more serious complications. Third, corns and calluses caused by constant friction with the shoe. Then there’s the fashion problem: Claw toes don’t compliment sandals, the beach and pedicures.

The S word  – Toe Surgery

Hammer toes that are ignored and allowed to progress result in a toe that may have become extremely rigid and painful. They have become a risk to overall health because of  inflammation, inability to heal do to constant irritation, and most significant, unstable, deteriorating mobility. In these unlucky cases the risks of surgery may be acceptable.

Have questions? contacts us at 877-964-2776 or at blog@yogapro.com

Here’s one reason ABC news offers to keep your keyboard capable toes typing ready!

Frederic Ferri -Inventor of YogaToes

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