Claw Toe
A lot of neurological injuries cause issues with the muscles. The nerves get damaged and often leads to a constant, involuntary flexion. I celebrated Halloween this year with a bone fusion surgery to correct this (painful) deformity.
The Basics
Claw toe is a deformity of a toe, often the last four toes, where it's bent down. The degree of this can vary, but it can be enough to cause difficulty putting weight on the food and looks like, well, a claw. It's similar to hammer or mallet toe, but affects the end and middle joints of the toe.
The joints affected by toe deformities
It is often painful due to difficulty wearing shoes, walking on the foot, and the cause of the deformity. It's associated with several other issues with the feet due to these factors. It's divided Into two stages/types: flexible and rigid.
Causes
Several factors may contribute to the formation of a claw toe:
Neurological conditions and trauma
Family history
Ill fitting shoes
High arches in your foot
Diabetes
Nerve damage
Arthritis
Treatments
Treatment depends on the stage, but surgical and non-surgical options exist.
Orthopedic shoes
Wider shoes with low heels and more arch support
Shoe inserts for arch support
Bone fusion surgery
Tendon release surgery
Exercises to strengthen the muscles of the foot
Splints or kinesiology tape
My Toe
Following the neurological injuries after the brain tumor, I had drop foot. That was corrected in 2017 with surgery, and for a while, everything was normal. Gradually, over the next two years, I developed a flexible claw toe in the foot I had drop foot in (left).
I tried splints and well-fitting shoes and I managed for a while. It started to get bothersome, so I saw a podiatrist in 2019, who did a tendon release. He warned that it could return, but it did well for a while.
I continued wearing splints and an orthopedic shoe, but it returned gradually. However, it was now 2021 and I was going through marathons of infections and it wasn't something I could address. So, I just did the best that I could until I could return to the podiatrist.
My left foot, October 2024
Finally, I was able to go to the podiatrist this fall. Due to non-surgical options and the tendon surgery failing, we opted to fuse the first and middle joints of the toe.
The pain was intense the first three days. Most people don't have the claw toe deformity in the big toe; it's the most painful one to have deformed due to the size of the first joint in particular. A lot of the body weight and balance is also on the big toe! The claw toe had begun to warp my entire foot - ouch!
After the third day, the pain drastically dropped. Since then, my foot has felt much better than it has for a while! The foot is no longer curved, the pain is only mild in my legs and hips, and I haven't had as much neuropathy in my feet! I still have a massive scab and I'm not supposed to put my full weight on it yet - but I'm optimistic about it and glad I had it!
About 3 weeks post op. The discoloration is from the cleaning solution
