What Others Are Saying:
"Modeling with broken bones was painful,
until I met Dr. Jenson
I had to have surgery on my right foot due to multiple broken bones and was initially scared of the procedure. But after meeting Dr. Jenson, all my worries were gone. Not only did he do an incredible job in my surgery, he had me up and running in no time. My work requires me to be standing for long periods of time and involves a lot of traveling. Without Dr. Jenson and his wonderful staff, I wouldn’t have been able to feel as great as I do in this short time."
- Taylor Hannah
Hammertoe Correction
Not only are hammertoes considered a functional abnormality, but they are also aesthetically displeasing to patients. Though feeling severe pain may be lacking compared to other ailments, patients are often mislead into thinking this condition isn’t an issue. In fact, if severe, this condition can result in increasing joint damage and tissue breakdown. If this happens, the lack of strength in those areas can lead to a difference in the way a patient walks, as well as serious toe, foot, knee or hip ailments and infections.
Hammertoes are usually a deformity of a joint in a patient’s toe. It is the chronic bending of a toe that causes the patient’s toe muscles to shorten giving the hammer appearance. In accordance, patients with chronic bending tend to have muscles underneath their toe be a lot stronger compared to the other toe muscles, creating an imbalance of strength. The weaker toe muscles become overpowered by the stronger ones. This exerts more tension onto your foot, which pulls a normal foot arch down, causing a flatter and longer foot.
Luckily, patients are able to receive a very simple and quick procedure to eliminate hammertoes and prevent further complications. Dr. Jenson uses arthroscopic and endoscopic techniques to make a very small incision at the site of the hammertoe. He then uses specialized bone instruments to remove a portion of the bone or joint where the bent is seen. For stability, Dr. Jenson inserts a SMART-TOE implant to attach the joint to the remaining bones in the toe. Depending on the severity, he will sometimes insert a pin to give additional support for proper alignment during the recovery phase. Once properly aligned, sutures will be placed, as the surgery is complete.
Considered outpatient surgery, the patient will be able to go home following surgery. The actual surgery time is not long and should be completed within 2 hours. Due to bone being involved, the recovery time can be anywhere between 6-12 weeks. It requires patients coming in for follow-ups every 2 weeks and taking x-rays to confirm proper alignment being maintained with no infection. To speed up recovery, Dr. Jenson sometimes refers patients to use a bone stimulator, a machine used to enhance recovery in minimal time.
