What Hammer Toe Pad is Best For You?

Possibly like you, many of my patients cannot undergo the surgery necessary to fix a hammer toe or may not have the time nor have the life situation needed for the surgical recovery.
So , what can you do to have comfortable feet short of going barefoot all the time? 
Many of my patients get hammer toe pain relief with these  hammer toe pads listed in this post.  But which one do you need?

The key is knowing what type of hammer toe you have, the location of pain on the toe, if the toe overlaps another toe, if it purchases the ground, and whether or not you have a corn and where it’s located. This information will guide you to the best hammer toes pad for you.  

Jump to the end if you want to quickly find a hammer toe pad for you in a hammer toe pad guide table.

(Please note these hammer toe pads will not correct the hammer toe but provide immense relief of discomfort.)

The Type of Hammer Toe You Have Dictates What Hammer Toe Pad Works the Best 

Hammer toes are caused by inherited biomechanical abnormalities but one key to knowing what hammer toe pad is best is whether or not the hammer toe is flexible or rigid, a claw toe, overlapping or deviated toe, and if it purchases or contacts the ground or not.

Flexible hammer toes can be manipulated fairly easily back into the normal position.

Rigid hammer toes are stuck and cannot be manipulated back to a straight position.

A Claw toe is a type of hammer toe that is bent at both joints on the toe and normally creates pain on the tip due to extra pressure against the ground and usually results in a painful corn.

If there is a single claw toe, then a single gel crest pad may help.

 These crest pads provide the best relief for a flexible claw toe with a corn on the tip of the toe.

***Crest pads will not work with a RIGID hammer toe and will make it feel worse . 

Overlapping hammer toes have ligamentous and tendon abnormalities where the toe meets the foot at the metatarsophalangeal joint. Many times these hammer toes are related to bunion deformities.  An overlapping hammer toe usually has some degree of chronic joint subluxation or dislocation which can also cause pain at the ball of the foot.

This is a rigid overlapping hammer toe associated with a bunion. Overlapping toes do not purchase or contact the ground and make wearing shoes difficult and painful.

   Gel toe sleeves, Corn Protectors, Gel toe caps, Fabric mesh gel toe caps,  Gel toe/ corn pads, Fabric gel Toe sleeves,  all may help toe discomfort from a rigid overlapping toes.  All of these products would be helpful to decrease friction, rubbing, and irritation for most hammer toes in shoes.

Use a cap if toe pain at tip and top of toe .

Use a sleeve if just having pain at the knuckle or top of toe.

If there is a corn then  Corn Protectors are very helpful to offload .

This is a flexible overlapping hammer toe at 2nd toes both feet. So the flexible 2nd toes can be moved with fingers to a straight position.

The hammer toe pad that helps a flexible overlapping hammer toe is the single Budin Toe Splint. If there are 2 overlapping toes then the Double Budin Toe Splint will help. 

PLEASE NOTE:  ** Unfortunately, Budin Toe Splints do not help a rigid overlapping hammer toe and can cause pain.

**The Budin toe splint will not correct an overlapping toe deformity.

Do you have a corn on your toe and where is it?

A corn forms from pressure and rubbing of the prominent knuckle rubbing in shoe gear. This is a source of a lot of grief. 

My patients tell me that a  corn on the top of the toe at the knuckle is like a rock stuck on the toe.  This irritates and inflames the underlying soft tissue. 

This brings a patient into the office to have the corn debrided our shaved away.  The corn returns because the hammer toe is still present. Only surgery will fix a hammer toe.

For a Corn of the Top or the Side of the Toe:

Above corn is on inside of second toe.

Corn on top of hammer toe above.

Corn Protectors are my favorite to keep pressure off a painful corn for a patient.

If the corn is not very thick or if there is a lot of redness or irritation of the knuckles,

then fabric gel Toe sleeves,  Gel toe sleeves  are great to disperse pressure,  friction and release mineral oil to soften the corn. 

 One of my favorite pads for this is Gel toe/ corn pads by Silipos mainly because of the the thicker spot of silicone gel.  There are different sizes. Below is the silipos pad for the baby toe.

Gel spacers or spreaders or Triple foam spacers,  

or stay-put spacers may help with corns in between toes.  

For a Corn or Pain on the Tip of the Toe: