Although there are some specific causes for each of the toe deformities (hammer toe, mallet toe, claw toe), the majority of causes are similar with all of them.
If you suffer from flat feet, your flexor muscles are generally stronger than the other muscles; which creates a muscle imbalance. These muscles exert more tension on your foot which pulls the normal arch in your foot down - creating a flatter arch and longer foot. As a result your weaker toe muscles are overpowered, which can result in a toe deformity.
Inappropriate footwear (short, tight, narrow, pointed, or high heels) that puts pressure on your feet and keeps your toes in an unnatural bent and/or squished position where they rub against the shoes can also cause a toe deformity. If you wear this type of shoe over a long period of time your toe muscles won't be able to straighten your toe even if you are not wearing shoes. Often hard growths of dead skin such as corns (on top of toe) or calluses (on bottom of toe or sole of foot), or bunions (bump on side of big toe joint, normally an enlargement of bone or tissue) will develop from these pressure points, and initiate your toe deformity.
- Different foot structures, conditions from birth or an abnormal toe bone length
- Hereditary characteristics
- Muscle, nerve and joint damage from osteoarthritis, stroke, neuromuscular diseases (multiple sclerosis, Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, cerebral palsy, degenerative disc disease), inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis) or diabetes, poor blood flow to your feet (peripheral arterial disease)
- Previous toe injuries or poor foot mechanics and movement
- Partial or complete dislocation of one of your toe joints
- Excessive pressure on your foot due to height, weight, and activity levels
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Therapeutic Products
Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy
You can help your body repair your plantar fasciitis, heel spur, arch pain or tendon injury by boosting the natural healing process using an Inferno Wrap™. The Inferno Wrap's patented design delivers the most effective Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy you can find. By stimulating the flow of blood to your foot you are increasing the amount of healing oxygen and nutrients to the area. Unfortunately, we need to rest in order to heal and this decreases the blood flow throughout our bodies. Since you can't work your foot without danger of further injury, you need to stimulate the blood flow another way. Our innovative Inferno Wrap™ gives you the best Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy available. The Inferno Wrap™ creates energy waves that stimulate blood flow while you rest by penetrating through the outer layers of your foot. The energy waves reach deep into your foot reducing your pain as they heal the inner tissue.
The Inferno Wrap™ provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief with no side effects. By treating your heel spur or plantar fascia in the morning before stepping out of bed, you will warm the area and prepare it for use during the day with less risk on re-injury. When your injury has healed somewhat and it comes time for more aggressive rehabilitation, stretching and activity, Blood Flow Stimultation Therapy warms the tissues in the injured area which increases range of motion and allows for a safer stretch with less risk of reinjury.
Therapeutic Ultrasound
Ultrasound Therapy is also a great tool for pain prevention of heel spurs, plantar fasciitis and tendon injuries, and having a therapeutic ultrasound device at home can be a powerful and convenient treatment tool. If you are suffering from a heel spur or have an injured plantar fascia or are recovering from a tendon injury, using ultrasound on a regular basis before your activity or throughout the day will help relax the area, diminish pain and inflammation, soften scar tissue and contribute greatly to the healing of your injury.
Therapeutic Ultrasound warms and massages your soft tissue giving you three primary benefits. First, it increases blood flow in the treated area which speeds your body's natural healing process. Second, it reduces swelling and edema which are the main sources of pain. Third, ultrasound softens existing scar tissue and minimizes the build up of new scar tissue resulting in reduced pain while healing and greater flexibility once healing is complete.
Eucalyptus...
It's in our Gel!
Ultrasound can also be used to administer therapeutic medicines into the body. This is a process known as phonophoresis. Ultrasound with Phonophoresis is rapidly becoming more popular than Ultrasound Therapy alone.
Peppermint...
It's in our gel too!
Our MendMeShop Lavender Infusion Gel is the only topical therapeutic gel that is also a Phonophoretic Ultrasound Gel. It is made with natural medical ingredients including eucalyptus, peppermint, Bulgarian lavender and menthol. These effective ingredients have anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, decongestant, and circulatory stimulant properties. When applied topically and massaged into the skin, MendMeShop Lavender Infusion Gel relieves pain and speeds healing without any side-effects.
Freezie Wrap™ Cold Compression Therapy
Our cold compression wraps work by interrupting and slowing nerve and cell function in your foot. Once blood vessels are damaged they can no longer carry oxygenated blood to the damaged tissue and therefore cells begin to break-down. The deep cold provided by our cold compression wraps slows cell function thereby reducing cellular break-down. Furthermore, because the cold wraps serve to numb the nerves, the wraps also reduce pain!
With the non-migrating gel that holds the cold for your cold therapy, our Freezie Wraps are the best. We have noticed over time that our customers are so fond of our cold wraps that they are frequently coming back and ordering a second one - this way they can cool one while wearing the other. The wraps are becoming very popular with baseball and soccer trainers, and the wraps can be conveniently stored in a cooler for quick application on the field when needed.
Always allow the injured area to return to normal body temperature between hot and cold treatments by waiting 60-90 minutes before applying a different therapy.
Do you have more questions?
If you have any questions regarding our therapeutic products and your treatment options, please contact a MendMeShop Advisor for assistance. You can be assured all your questions will be answered in a thorough and courteous manner by our trained staff.
Within Continental US and Canada call toll 1-866-237-9608
Other countries call 1-705-445-3505
Email us at service@aidmyspur.com.
We strive to answer all emails within 24 hours. Often you will receive your response sooner.
Our Office Hours
Monday to Friday 8:00am to 8:00pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Saturday and Sunday 11:00am to 6:00pm (Eastern Standard Time)
