What symptoms do hammertoes cause, and do they get worse?
Short answer: Hammertoes can cause shoe pressure, painful corns, redness, swelling, tip-of-toe pain and pain beneath the ball of the foot. Some remain stable; others become progressively stiffer or more displaced.
A flexible toe can still be straightened by hand. A semi-rigid toe moves only partly, and a rigid toe no longer corrects manually. Increasing stiffness can make padding and footwear less effective, although progression is not inevitable.
Seek assessment for recurrent wounds, infection, rapidly increasing deformity, numbness or circulation concerns. People with diabetes or reduced sensation should not self-treat corns with blades or acid preparations.