Why Are My Toes Crooked?

Crooked toes can appear in several forms and include overlapping, hammer, claw and mallet toes. These ailments can be unsightly, uncomfortable and painful.

Overlapping Toes

Overlapping toes are characterized by one toe lying on top of an adjacent toe. The reddened areas on either side of this foot illustration show what overlapping toes might look like.

When the big toe is bent (deviated) towards the minor toes (see Bunion) it is common to experience irritation between the big toe and 2nd toe.

When ligaments and tendons in the toe tighten and cause the toe joints to stay bent, the condition is called hammer toe (sometimes called mallet toe or claw toe, the distinction being which joints are affected). A hammer toe affects the first two joints of the toe, causing the toe to bend and raise the second knuckle upward.

A mallet toe affects the last joint at the end of the toe, causing the knuckle closest to the toenail to bend and point the toe tip downward. A claw toe looks like a combination of a hammer toe and a mallet toe. It affects all three joints of the toe, causing the second knuckle to bend upward and the last knuckle to curl underneath it with the toe tip pointing downward.