Curved toes, also known as hammer toes, claw toes, and mallet toes, can cause toe pain, arch pain, and joint pain. These conditions can also affect your mobility, making it difficult to participate in daily activities. Here are some of the most common causes of hammer toes, claw toes, and mallet toes.

Poorly Fitting Shoes

The most common cause of hammer toes, claw toes, and mallet toes is wearing shoes that don’t fit properly. Shoes that are too tight can affect the muscles in your toes over time, causing them to tighten, shorten, or contract. When your toes are forced into a bent position for a long enough time period, they won’t be able to straighten on their own. This leads to toe pain and deformity. A foot specialist can help you find properly fitting shoes.

Diabetes Complications

People who suffer from diabetes are at great risk for developing nerve damage in their feet. As a result, they may walk on a broken toe for long enough that they develop a toe deformity. Diabetes patients may also not notice that their shoes do not fit properly, as they won’t feel toe pain or discomfort. For these reasons, it’s crucial for those who suffer from diabetes to visit a podiatrist or foot specialist regularly to maintain and protect their foot health.

Foot Injuries

In some cases, a foot injury can cause a hammer toe, claw toe, or mallet toe. If you sustain a broken toe or toe fracture and it doesn’t heal correctly, you may develop a hammer toe. This is why it’s crucial to see a foot doctor if you have severe or prolonged foot pain or toe pain.

If you’re suffering from toe pain near Whitestone, visit us at Family Foot Center. Our experienced podiatrist can treat toe pain, foot pain, and hammer toes. The sooner that you visit a podiatrist or foot specialist for treatment of toe pain or hammer toe, the less likely you are to need foot surgery. To schedule an appointment with our foot specialist, call us today at (718) 767-5555.

If you suffer from diabetes, you may be familiar with the risk for developing diabetic neuropathy of the foot. The condition causes debilitating problems with balance, mobility, and foot health. To prevent or manage diabetic neuropathy of the foot, you should visit a podiatrist, or foot specialist, at a foot center near you. Here is some information about how exercise can improve nerve function, and improve foot health, for those suffering from diabetes.

Benefits of Exercise to Foot Health

Exercise is one of the first treatment methods recommended for patients with diabetes. Regular exercise can help regulate blood glucose levels and insulin action, which can significantly reduce a diabetes patient’s risk of developing foot health problems, such as diabetic neuropathy. Exercise also improves blood flow and circulation, which can slow the progression of foot health problems, such as neuropathy, among diabetes patients.

Exercise Can Help Manage Diabetes Symptoms

If you already suffer from diabetic neuropathy of the foot, exercise can help you manage your symptoms. The podiatrist at your foot center may recommend that you participate in an aerobic exercise program for 30 minutes per day, three to four days per week. Regular exercise can improve nerve function, which will reduce your symptoms and alter the progression of the condition.

Improvement of Foot Function With Exercise

Diabetic neuropathy can cause foot pain, and can limit your mobility. If you have foot pain and mobility issues, a foot specialist can design an exercise program that focuses on strengthening your muscles, improving your balance, and increasing your endurance and range of motion. All of these exercises can improve your foot function, reduce foot pain, and eliminate many mobility issues.

If you’re suffering from diabetes near Whitestone, our board certified podiatrist at Family Foot Center can help you manage foot pain and prevent diabetic neuropathy. Our podiatric surgeon can also correct foot deformities caused by diabetes complications that have affected your foot health. To schedule an appointment with our foot specialist, call us today at (718) 767-5555.