Crooked Toes, Beautiful Feet

When you think of beautiful feet, what comes to mind? Generally straight toes, smooth skin, and clear nails are what we expect when the shoes and socks come off. As you may realize, that isn’t always the case. Even well-known celebrities can have some interesting feet—like Jennifer Gardner, who has an overlapping little toe on her right foot. Though not always a problem, crooked toes like that can make it uncomfortable to wear shoes and encourage painful callus or corn formation.

Overlapping toes can be congenital—present at birth—or can develop in response to another foot condition or trauma. How painful the problem becomes depends on how flexible the toe stays. The pressure that the digit on top places on the one below can cause friction and strain, injuring both and leading to callus formation. Finding shoes roomy enough to accommodate the deformity can be difficult. If the toes are too stiff, walking could even be painful.

Treating an overlapping toe successfully depends on how it developed and how serious the condition is. Remedies generally revolve around modifying things to fit the problem and managing any discomfort. Wearing shoes with high, wide toe boxes can help. In mild cases that developed in response to a crowding problem, taping and padding are often used to try to realign the toe. Sometimes, however, toes are too stiff or misaligned. In those cases, you may need surgery to correct the condition.

Fortunately, many people with overlapping toes are like Jennifer Gardner: able to go about their daily lives by accommodating the condition and learning to live with it. However, if you are experiencing pain in your toes, or anywhere else in your feet, don’t ignore it. Your feet were not meant to be in pain. Instead, contact Gulf South Foot & Ankle, LLC, in Metairie for an appointment or more information. Call (504)-708-4810 or visit the online contact page to reach us.