Son Has Deformed Toes?

Dear S.,
You can see a podiatrist to relieve any fears you may have, but in the mean time, I would massage his little feet and toes and play "This little piggy".
Just get those toes used to being maneuvered and in a different position. If you make a game of it, he'll never know the difference.
Best wishes!

Take him to a podiatrist. It seems to me that it could cause balance problems later and maybe there is something simple (orthotics insert?) you can do to correct it now while the bones are still growing.

My mom has this. It doesn't really bother her, but she did get a little brace-type thing to help straighten it out. It is like elastic with one end going over the toe to the straightened and then the back goes around the heel. It pulls the toe into place. It doesn't hurt. she says she wears it for a while (not sure how long) and her toe will straighten out, but eventually goes back and she has to do it again. Again, straight or not, her toe does not bother her at all.

if I'm gettting a good visual of your description, this sounds like the same thing my friend's daughter had as a toddler. She got 'night-night shoes,' special corrective shoes that she only wore at night. She's now 19 so I'm having hard time remembering exactly how the shoes looked but it helped straighten out or align her toes correctly. I would also recommend you go to a podiatrist. For so many peole, a lot of their leg joint problems are a result of problems w/their feet: ie: my husband has flat feet & has had a bunion surgery & 2 ACL surgeries due to how he 'compensated' for his flat feet in how he walked. He got orthodics a few years aog & has seen a tremendous difference in the alignment of his legs & walk. So, see what a podiatrist has to say.

My husband has something similar going on with this toe(s). It doesn't bother him at all in terms of pain or they way he walks however he does need to get a half size bigger shoe to accomodate the toe placement. He's a runner and does other types of exercise/ sports as well with no problems. He can also almost "curl" his middle toe over the top of his big toe. That being said I would definitely get another opinion. I think it's always a good idea to have things checked out. If nothing than for peace of mind ;-)

I would find a podiatrist who specializes with children. It's difficult to tell if your child has pain because this is the norm for him. Without an xray or expertize from a specialist, you don't know the structural extent or damage this situation could cause. I'm speaking from experience. I don't want to discuss my situation a lot but just to let you know I thought my condition with my feet and toes were ok and nothing could be done until 2000 when I saw a podiatrist. I finally had my first surgery and have the second in 2 weeks (both feet were involved). I had no idea what a difference it could make. Pain, back and neck pain and migraines were all affecting me, quite possibly from my feet. Mine was diagnosed as hammertoe and bunion, and i know when i researched it on the internet, there was a lot, perhaps if you just research "Misaligned Toes". I wish your child good health.

S., my daughter was born with overlapping fifth toes on both feet, meaning her baby toes didn't lay flat in their own space but were shorter than normal and sort of lay on top of her fourth toes. Apparently the ligament on the fifth toes were shorter than normal "pulling" her fifth toes up and over the fourth toes. Our pediatrician said there would be no function impairment, but of course as she got older there would be a cosmetic issue and it would impact her shoe options. He referred us to an orthopedic specialist who said we should wait until her bones were more finished and then have surgery to cut the ligaments. We waited until she was 5 at which point her bones were all settled and had the surgery at Stanford. Cutting the ligaments means the baby toes lie flat, so shoes are not an issue. She is now almost 15 years old, has had no problems with her feet and is in fact pretty serious in ballet and dances on point quite a bit! My recommendation would be to see a pediatric orthopedist so that you have all the information possible.

Hello,

My mother and I both have deformed toes and have done fine our entire lifes. Her toes are her last three little toes... the middle one rests on top of the other two on both feet. My litte two toes curl under so that I am always walking on the toe nail. It hasn't ever really caused any problems besides some discomfort for me while I was growing up walking on pavement etc. barefoot. Now I have no problems at all. I have had a couple of doctors tell me that they could break all four of the effected toes to make them "normal" and I have decided that it's not worth it. I am happy with who and how I am ... strange toes and all. I would say if it's not bothering him then don't mess with it. There will be enough things going on in his life that he can't have a say in... leave this decision up to him... when he gets older if he wants to have something done, then make that decision at that time. If he's not bothered by it now (I doubt that he notices at all) then leave it be. It's not that big of a deal in the long run.

Smile and good luck!

V.

Hi there
I would DEFINITELY take him to a podiatrist, I mean doctors are great, but do they really understand the feet as extensively as a good podiatrist does.. Could be the tendon is not releasing properly and hence his toe goes up. I know in some cases stretching and adhesive tape is commonly used to correct this. I would talk to a podiatrist. The whole idea that if it doesn't bother him, then it's ok.. thing is... it WILL bother him when shoes are no longer comfortable and could the toe could cause other problems on different parts of the foot and spine for that matter, afterall, if you don't stand properly on your feet, it DOES affect one's spine. I am a little shocked that that doctor didn't refer you to a podiatrist.
best of luck in whatever you decide.

I am 38 and have had a similar condition all my life. I am a runner and have not had any problems until about 3 months ago when I have had a lot of pain caused by inflamation at the end of the metatarsal (foot bone). Physical therapist said one of the reasons for this was the way my toe did not touch the ground while walking. I am not stretching the toes and massaging the toes daily.

I would definaltly suggest as a minimum to massage the toes and stretch them out. try putting it into a game so it is something fun, but something that happens at least daily if not more frequently.

It may not cause pain now or even in the near future, but you never know when something may come out of it. When I was told "but your toes don't touch the ground when you walk" my response was "I know they never have and I have been teased about this from my parents my whole life. No-one ever thought to do soemthing about it."

Good luck and believe that stretching and massage can change things - they have with my toes in just 10 weeks.

K.

Everyone's toes are funny in some way. They're *toes*! :D My one recommendation is that you let your little one go barefoot as much as possible -- easy to do now that summer is coming up -- and the toes will find their way and right position naturally in time.

;D I've heard it is a sign of extraordinary intelligence too.

Hi S., both my first 2 children have this to a degree,just as you discribed. It seems to have improved as they have gotten older. Maybe it's just less pronounced now that their feet are bigger. My daughters toe next to the big toe even seems kinda long. Neither my husband or I have this and my other two children don't have it. I've never asked a podiatrist but one has looked at my daughters foot when she broke her ankle. They didn't say anything about it. It hasn't bothered them either. It is interesting to hear about other children having this. I glad it's their toes and not their nose. Maybe it's a sign of intelligence.

I have never heard of this. I would tend to want a second opinion, especially if this feature has become more noticable with age. It could be a harmless fluke, like birthmark, but if you notice any changes, or if you see any behavioral peculiarities, try another doctor. I think sometimes doctors don't pay attentionif they think moms worry too much. I don't mean to scare you. I work in Special Ed and I know that some kinds of disabilities come with accompanying physical factors (some of their hands/feet/movements are odd)---but if he seems to be developing normally, it is probably no big deal. Just trust your instincts.

My son has this and when he was born, my FIL mentioned that he has the same thing. My son is 9 now, in a size 9 men's shoe, and it's never bothered him. He's played soccer, baseball, runs, and he doesn't even notice that he has his funky toe.

My oldest son who will be 3 at the end of July had this as well when he was born, but it has since gone away naturally. I was a little concerned and also asked my dr and got the same response. You may want to go to a foot dr just to have it looked at, but I don't think there is a reason to be worried unless he is walking funny.
My mom has a friend who's toes do the same thing and she is a grown woman in her 50's with no walking or feet issues.
I think it's more of a cosmetic thing, but would suggest getting it checked out just to make sure and to sooth your soul. It could go away on it's own like my sons.
K.

I had a boyfriend, several years ago now and he had one foot that the mid toe was above the others. It had been that way since birth and his parents didn't have medical insurance, so it was never corrected. In walking, you never noticed a difference,but often it was red and irritated from rubbing on his shoes. His mother said she had to work and was unable to find a doctor that would treat him for the birth defects involving his foot and leg. So....can you live with it? yes, but I would rather see them try to do some corrective surgery if possible.
A. W

I wouldn't stress too much about it if he's walking ok with no oddness to his step or gait. If it's not causing him any pain either.

However, a second opinion from a podiatrist wouldn't hurt anything either.

I know you post is from a long time ago but I thought I'd respond anyways just in case its any help to anyone. I'm 28 years old,my 2nd to last toe is like that on both feet and I've never had any problems with walking/balance. When I was a baby the doctors suggested surgery or taping the toe down. Tape didn't work and surgery wasn't necessary. I also get athletes foot around the abnormal toes, or I use to its rare these days.

Don't worry about it.