Mallet Toe

The little known condition of the Mallet Toe. A Deformity which causes pain to the Tip of your Toe

The mallet toe is a less common form of toe curling or contracture than the other popularly known condition of hammertoe. Technically a mallet toe is when the end of your toe bends downward at the knuckle closest to your nail or the joint on the toe. This deformity starts for many reasons and it is much more often due to the persons foot structure and the imbalance between the muscle action of the toe bending upward and downward. It is not caused due to wearing tight shoes and it is a myth that wearing tight shoes causes this because it does not. Regardless of what causes this condition, what happens in the end is that the toe is bent from the tip instead of it being prominent near the knuckle of the toe base as it is seen in the hammertoe.

While usually this type of deformation of the foot does not give the person the same kind of pain that you get with a hammertoe since usually the toe is not prominent at the top of the shoe, but it still does result in a very different kind of problem for people. Mallet toes are usually pushed downwards when a person starts to walk and they therefore endure more pressure on the tip of the toe than it was actually meant to. A corn usually forms on the tip of the shoe in response to the friction and it becomes painful as the skin over there starts to harden. In some people, such as people who have poor circulation or people with poor sensation or even people who have diabetes, the corn sometimes hides a skin wound underneath which starts to move to the bone underneath and can get infected.

Usually to treat the mallet it requires either to pad the toe and push the end of the toe back upwards, or use padded inserts which are under the tow to lessen the pressure directly on the tip of the toe or if nothing else works surgery to fix the toe. Another simple procedure is to make the toe straight is to release the tight tendon underneath your toe. This can be done in the office itself and needs only a stitch or two.

If you have this in your toe then you can rest and be relieved to know that it can be cured.

Resource: Foot Pain Information and Heel Pain Information