Overlapping Toes: One Patient’s Simple Treatment

I recently treated a patient who had pain from her fifth toe overlapping her fourth toe.  Believe it or not, this is more common than you might think.

The outer parts of the foot, as a rule, are pressed more by footwear and over time this can literally squeeze the pinky toe so much that it begins to sit on top of the fourth toe.  Very pointy shoes, or shoes with a narrow toe box, are especially notorious culprits for this condition.  Untreated, overlapping toes can cause aggravation or inflammation of the affected toe joints, change in gait, and thickening of the skin and tissue.  The simplest and most effective form of treatment, aside from wearing shoes with a wider toe box, is custom orthotics.  In more severe cases, surgery may be required.

By fitting my patient with an orthotic made specifically for her feet, we were able to alleviate her pain.  She also stopped wearing pointy heels, which was a daily occurrence for her job in an office.  You’d be surprised how simple some treatments  are, but that make a world of difference!  Contact us to request an appointment by clicking here.

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