Mallet Toe: How to Get Your Bent Toe Straight Again

Your toes help you move and keep your balance. But these small bones are exposed to repeated stress from movement and footwear. Repeated stress makes your toes prone to getting stuck in bent positions. 

If you have a mallet toe, there are treatment options that can help. There are also things you can do to make sure you don’t develop another mallet toe in the future. 

What is a mallet toe? 

Your small toes have three small bones that two joints connect. A mallet toe develops when the joint closest to the tip of your toe gets stuck in a bent position. A mallet toe is different from a hammertoe. Hammertoes develop when the other toe joint is stuck in a bent position. 

The muscles on the bottom of your foot are naturally weaker than the muscles on the top of your foot. The top muscles often put more stress on your toes, so your toes tend to stay bent. Over time, this stress makes the toe joint and muscles stiffer, and your toe can get stuck in a bent position.  

If you have a mallet toe, you may experience:

• Toe redness or swelling

• Pain over the joint

• Calluses over the toe joint

• Pain or discomfort when you walk, run, or wear shoes 

What causes a mallet toe? 

Several things increase the risk of developing mallet toes. 

Shoes

Most mallet toes are usually the result of wearing the wrong shoes. Narrow, tight-fitting shoes put more pressure on your toes, as do do high-heeled shoes. This pressure increases the risk of developing mallet toes.

Ill-fitting shoes can also lead to mallet toes. Some people wear shoes that fit overall, but the toe box is actually too short for their feet. A short toe box puts more stress on your toes, increasing the risk of mallet toes. 

Injuries and foot shape

Any type of trauma or injury to your foot or toe can lead to mallet toes. The injury might damage the muscles or tendons in your foot. This can lead to stress on the toe joints. As injuries heal they can also put stress on the toe joint, leading to mallet toes. 

People who have hallux valgus are more likely to develop mallet toes. Hallux valgus describes a great toe that points inward instead of straight. This causes pressure on the toes to shift, and that leads to mallet toes. 

Medical conditions

People with medical conditions that affect the bones, nerves, and joints in their feet are more likely to develop a mallet toe. These conditions include arthritis, diabetes, and neuromuscular conditions.

Are there treatments for mallet toes?

Mallet toes can be painful and make everyday activities uncomfortable. But there are many things you can try to relieve your symptoms. Some of these things may even help straighten your toe so it looks more like it used to. 

Early treatment

You want to start these treatments as soon as you notice that your toe looks bent — while the toe joint is still flexible. You’ll know that your joint is still flexible because you’ll be able to straighten it with gentle pressure. Here we’ll review some early treatments that may help.

New footwear

The most important thing you can do is change your footwear. The right shoes won’t just treat your mallet toe, they’ll also keep you from getting this problem again. 

Opt for shoes with low (or no) heels that have wider toe boxes. Avoid narrow and pointed shoes. Laced and strapped shoes are also a better option because you can adjust how snug they’re throughout the day. 

If you have shoes that are tight in certain spots, take them to a shoe repair shop. They can stretch the spots out for you. They can also pre-stretch shoes so you don’t put stress on your toes trying to “break in” new shoes. 

Consider going to the store to get your feet measured. Your foot size changes as you get older, so you might need to size up. You might also find that one foot is larger than the other. Make sure to buy the size that fits the larger foot.

Without the constant stress of tight shoes, your toe joint will start to relax and straighten.

Toe stretching

In addition to changing shoes, you can use toe braces to help stretch your joint back into its usual position. You can also try kinesiology tape to tape your toe in a more natural position. 

Cushions and pads

Like bracing and taping, cushions and pads alone won’t help cure your mallet toe. But they provide relief when you combine them with shoes that fit properly. You can add cushioning over any calluses or painful areas on your mallet toe. 

You can find cushions, splints, and tape at your local drugstore, shoe store, or runner’s store. Many of these items are FSA and HSA eligible. 

Steroid injections

Steroid injections go directly into your toe and help bring down inflammation. Steroid injections won’t straighten your toe, but they can provide temporary pain relief.

Later treatment

Over time, your mallet toe will stop being flexible. That means that you can’t easily straighten your toe by applying gentle pressure. Once that stiffness sets in, treatments like taping and stretching won’t work. And new shoes may not be enough to provide relief. 

In this case, your foot doctor (podiatrist) may recommend toe surgery to correct your mallet toe. There are several types of surgeries that can help. You’ll work with your foot doctor to decide which one is best for you. 

Bottom line

A mallet toe describes a toe that is stuck in a bent position at the top toe joint. While this isn’t dangerous, it can be painful. Proper-fitting, low-heeled shoes can keep you from developing mallet toes. 

If you have a flexible mallet toe, you can try treating it at home with braces, tape, and different footwear. If your mallet toe isn’t flexible anymore, you may need foot surgery to relieve your pain. It’s a good idea to work with a podiatrist to find the right tools to treat your mallet toe.

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Written by:

Ronald W. Dworkin, MD, PhD

Ronald W. Dworkin, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist who has been practicing anesthesiology in a community hospital for 30 years. He has taught in the honors program at George Washington University for over 10 years and works as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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