Is It Dangerous to Play Foot Sports with a Hammertoe?
Dec 17, 2024
Hammertoe is a common structural foot deformity that causes one or more of your toes to bend at the middle joint, leaving the affected toe curled down instead of lying flat. When you first develop a hammertoe, you’ll notice just a slight, “flexible” bend in the affected toe.
However, if ignored, hammertoe can gradually worsen to the point where it becomes clawed and rigid — meaning it can no longer straighten. People tend to ignore hammertoes early on because discomfort is minimal. But hammertoes almost always progress in severity to the point where walking or standing is difficult.
Hammertoes create a vicious cycle. The more you play sports with them, the worse they become, and the worse they get, the more painful sports will become. That’s why our podiatry team at South Texas Foot Surgeons, PA, in San Antonio and Kerrville, Texas, don’t recommend playing sports with hammertoes until the condition is appropriately treated.
Read on to learn why playing foot sports with a hammertoe can be dangerous — and find out how we can help you manage the problem and stay active.
Hammertoes are caused by an imbalance in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that keep your toes straight. Anything from genetics to wearing tight shoes can trigger this imbalance. Over time, the deformity causes the affected toe to bend downward.
Initially, you might still be able to straighten your toe with your hand, but eventually, as the muscles and ligaments tighten, the toe may become permanently stuck in a clawed, rigidly bent position.
Sports that involve running, jumping, and sudden directional changes tend to aggravate hammertoes. If you’re ignoring the early signs of the condition, it’s easy to miss that your hammertoe is getting worse with every game or workout. Here’s what happens:
Foot-intensive activities like soccer, tennis, or running place increased pressure on your feet and toes. This pressure can worsen the muscle imbalance that causes hammertoe, hastening the progression from early, flexible hammertoe to a rigid and permanently deformed one.
Another thing to consider is pain and swelling. Even if your hammertoe isn’t painful at first, playing sports can lead to painful and uncomfortable inflammation. Over time, this swelling can turn into chronic pain that makes standing and walking uncomfortable.
Athletes with a hammertoe deformity often struggle to find shoes that fit comfortably. Tight-fitting shoes can cause friction on the bent toe, leading to blisters, calluses, and open sores that are at a much higher risk of infection.
If you’re compensating for a hammertoe by changing how you walk or run, it can throw off your body’s normal balance and alignment. When your alignment is off, your ankles, knees, and hips are forced to compensate, setting the stage for easy injury — like muscle strains, ankle sprains, and stress fractures.
There are quite a few treatment options available for hammertoes. The right one for you depends on the severity of your deformity and the symptoms it causes. Is your toe flexible or rigid? How painful is it? How active are you? Do you have other co-occurring injuries?
If your hammertoe is still flexible, we recommend non-surgical treatments such as physical therapy and custom orthotics to redistribute foot pressure. Choosing more comfortable shoes with a wider toe box also relieves pressure on hammertoes.
If your hammertoes are rigid, or stuck in the bent position, foot surgery may be necessary. Options include repositioning the tendons to straighten the toe, joint fusion to keep the toe straight, or inserting a small pin to hold the toe in place during healing.
Hammertoes often start off as a minor inconvenience; however, if you’re an athlete or love to engage in foot-intensive activities like running, you can’t afford to ignore them. Continuing to play foot sports with hammertoes isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s risky.
If you suspect you have a hammertoe, call or click online to schedule a visit at your nearest South Texas Foot Surgeons, PA, office in San Antonio or Kerrville, Texas, today.