The curvature of the toes in most cases haunts women, not men. This is due to wearing high-heeled shoes or tight model shoes. With constant pressure, the bones become deformed, begin to constrain each other, because of which corns or corns form. At the same time, the bones hurt, the joints become inflamed, and I don’t want to wear shoes at all. How to get rid of this problem? Consider the first symptoms first. After all, everyone knows that the sooner treatment is started, the easier it will be to get rid of pain, and you won’t have to do an operation on the foot.
The first symptoms of the disease
The disease begins, the appearance of pain when putting on shoes. When touching a diseased joint, a person feels severe pain, redness or swelling is possible, but slight. Many do not pay attention to the first signs, starting to notice the disease already with the curvatures visible to the eye. If there is a problem with the big toe, then a "bone" is formed, which is a visible cosmetic defect.
Other fingers are deformed by strong pressure on the neighboring ones, which leads to painful rubbing and pressing the fingers into each other. This can result in crossing fingers. At the very beginning of the disease, you need to contact a specialist and begin non-surgical treatment.
Causes of finger curvature
Scientists have not fully elucidated the causes of this pathology, but it is believed that this is most likely a genetic predisposition in which bone and connective tissue weakness develops. This leads to flat feet, the development of osteoporosis, arthritis, various disorders of the endocrine system. The main reason for curvature is the wearing of uncomfortable and tight shoes, which by constant pressure on weak joints violates their structure.
Types of disease
There are several varieties of pathology:
- Hammering of the toes. With this disease, the fingers are bent. This is attributed to wearing small shoes, arthritis, or transverse flat feet. The ligament loses its flexibility and the degree of tension of the flexion function is violated. There are two types. In the first case, the finger can be straightened with a hand, in the second - this can not be done even manually. You need to immediately contact an orthopedist and begin therapeutic massages, wear fixing insoles and straighteners for the finger. In severe cases, surgery can not be dispensed with.
- Claw-like disturbance in the shape of the fingers Associated with wearing narrow shoes. With this disease, the innervation of the phalanx of the toes is disrupted, bone and muscle tissue are affected. It is necessary to switch to shoes with wide socks and soft, non-squeezing fingers. Put on a few fingers a special splint, which prevents the fingers from touching. If the doctor prescribes surgical correction of the tendon, then it is performed by a puncture method, without cutting tissue and long healing.
- Crossing toes. This type of curvature is not even clear to a specialist. Visually you can see that in this case the fingers are facing each other. The reason may be tight shoes with a narrow toe, arthritis disease or transverse flat feet. At the beginning of such a curvature of the toes, you can wear special straighteners for the toes, but in advanced cases only surgery on the foot will help.
- Hallux valgus. With such a disease, a bone grows, which constantly reminds of itself with pain and tiredness of the legs when walking. Sometimes it becomes inflamed, reddens and hurts with pressure and bending of the foot. The disease can intensify, the bone grows, and the finger is even more deformed. They are treated mainly by surgery.
- Taylor deformation (curvature of the fifth toe). With this disease, the little finger on the leg is tucked inward. This occurs from incorrect posture of the legs when sitting. Some turn out the foot and the pressure falls on the side. In this case, the deformation of the little finger on the leg occurs and a lump (growth) occurs in the place of pressure. In the treatment of such a pathology, you need to radically change the sitting position, wear wide and soft shoes, special caps that hold the little finger in the correct position.
Big Toe Curvature
Nowadays, the disease of the joints of the thumb is most widespread. At the site of the curvature, bones on the toes appear. They often become inflamed and sore.
There are several stages of this disease:
- Deformation of the toes is barely noticeable. There is no inflammatory process. Nothing hurts.
- Visually, the deviation of the finger to the other side becomes noticeable. Sometimes there is pain in the joint.
- The finger is offset significantly. A pronounced bone appeared. The pain is frequent and long.
- Pain does not stop, very long, deformation of the toes is very pronounced.
Toe bending disorders
In addition to wearing shoes incorrectly, there are a number of factors that influence the appearance of curvature of toes. These are serious diseases such as diabetes mellitus, psoriasis, mechanical damage to the fingers or feet, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. As a result of foot injuries, reflex dystrophy may develop. The disease can also be caused by damage to the nervous system of the legs. Cerebral palsy, hollow foot, sclerosis, Charcot-Marie disease, can lead to pathological changes in the neuromuscular apparatus of the foot and legs.
People with genetic inheritance are also prone to such deformations. If your mother has such a bone, then you also have a risk of it. But, these are all related factors. The main reason for the appearance of a bone on the toes, most doctors consider uncomfortable, narrow or tight shoes. It is noticed that in underdeveloped or warm countries, where they don’t wear shoes at all, or wear wide open sandals, such a disease is completely absent.
Treatment of this disease
It is impossible to give one general recommendation to all patients. This disease requires only an individual approach. Depending on the degree of curvature and the presence of pain, the doctor may prescribe a conservative treatment or surgery.
In order to stop the deformation, they are prescribed to wear special shoes, arch supports or foot correctors. A special roller is inserted between the thumb and the second finger, which holds the fingers in an even position and stops further curvature.
Pain occurs during the inflammatory process in the joint. He needs to be stopped. For this, anti-inflammatory drug therapy is prescribed. In addition, physiotherapy and massage can also be prescribed. In special cases, corticosteroid injections may be prescribed. Disprospan, Kenalog and hydrocortisone have a good effect.
If the inflammation of the joint bag is associated with infection, then the doctor prescribes antibiotics and antiseptics. But, all these methods will only stop the disease. To get rid of it completely, you need surgery.
Orthopedic appliances
Nowadays, many orthopedic devices have been invented that delay a radical solution to the problem. These are special insoles, linings, arch supports, interdigital rollers, proofreaders. Some need to be worn during the day, others put on at night. The purpose of such devices is to keep the toes in the correct position, thus stopping the further curvature process.
You can buy a rubber screed that is worn for several hours. This is a wide rubber strip with a tubercle insert for the arch of the foot. It is quite tight and can interfere with the normal circulation of the legs. Therefore, it can not be worn for a long time.
There are comfortable tires that are inserted into the shoes and interfere with the touch of the affected area of the leg with the surface of the shoes. This temporarily eases the patient's condition.
Surgical treatment
In severe cases of deformation, when no means help, a person experiences constant pain and cannot shoe any shoes, only surgery will help. There are over a hundred different types of operations. Basically, surgical intervention is reduced to excising the tip or edge of the joint, removing soft tissues and bones that interfere with the normal position of the fingers.
In severe forms of the disease can put screws, wire connections or plates. They perform operations in most cases under local anesthesia. The duration of such interventions is up to one hour.
Types of operations
Consider the most common types of surgical intervention:
- Exostectomy The metatarsal head is to be removed. This is the section of bone tissue on which cone formation occurs.
- Osteotomy During such an operation, part of the bone or phalanx of the finger is removed.
- Resection arthroplasty. The tip of the metatarsal bone is cut off at the junction with the phalange of the finger. There is the metatarsophalangeal joint.
- Arthrodesis of the joint. Create during the intervention conditions for the immobility of the joint.
- Joint replacement surgery with artificial implants.
- Surgery to restore ligaments and connective tissue around the joint of the big toe.
Disease prevention
To prevent the formation of deformation of the fingers on the foot, you need to abandon model shoes and switch to more convenient options. It should be shoes with low heels, with laces, with a loose wide toe. With age, the size of the legs changes, so you definitely need to try on new clothes before buying. At the same time, you need to remember that by the evening the foot is trampled down and swells, so that shoes are best purchased in the daytime. Footwear is provided by sports shoes, light ballet shoes and shoes, sandals. It is advisable to choose products made from natural materials.
Women after 40 years old and men after 45 years old, despite the condition of their toes, need to insert arch support in their shoes, since age-related flat feet develop during this period.
The main thing is that you cannot self-medicate. Only a specialist knows how to straighten his toes correctly. At the first signs of the disease, you need to go to the orthopedist or surgeon.