Hammertoe, Claw Toe or Mallet Toe?

What is the difference between a hammertoe, claw toe and mallet toe?

Short answer: The names describe where the toe bends: hammertoe mainly affects the middle joint, mallet toe the end joint, and claw toe usually bends both joints while the toe lifts at its base.

These patterns can overlap. A toe may also rotate or cross toward a neighbouring toe. The exact joints involved matter because a flexible tendon imbalance is treated differently from a rigid joint deformity or an isolated bony prominence.

Online photographs can be useful for recognition but cannot show whether a joint is reducible, whether the metatarsophalangeal joint is unstable, or whether arthritis is present. Hands-on assessment determines the true pattern.