Finger pathologies are another common cause of consultation by the patients. The fingers may undergo contracture or bending of a joint resulting in hammertoes, claw deformity or mallet deformity, according to the affected joints.
Hammertoes usually start out as mild deformities that are flexible and get worse over time becoming rigid. This will result in pain and irritation of the fingers as well as formation of painful calluses, which sometimes make it impossible to put shoes on. The non-surgical treatment consists in the usage of large shoes to prevent rubbing with fingers, pads, pillows, or covers that protect the toe from rubbing against the shoe. The removal of corns and calluses by the podiatrist may be temporarily effective.
When the finger becomes stiff and the patient does not find relief with conservative treatment, surgery is recommended. The most common procedure is arthroplasty, which consists on removing a piece of bone from the affected joint. Another option is arthrodesis, which involves making the damaged joint rigid, it is reserved for more serious or very stiff fingers. A needle or small nail is generally used to keep your finger in the correct position while the tissues heal. Very often associated procedures are used as well, such as tendon lengthening. Many of these patients may have bunions or other deformities to be corrected at the same time.
