D.P.M. The term hammertoe describes the buckling of any of the toe joints. Although hammertoes have many causes, the most common one results from a muscle imbalance. This inbalance occurs when one tendon to the toe overpowers the opposing force of the tendon on the other side of the toe causing the toe to buckle. The tendency toward forming a muscle imbalance is commonly an inherited trait.
Hammertoes can be flexible or rigid.
A flexible hammertoe can be straightened with your finger. As the hammertoe progressively worsens, it may become rigid. A rigid hammertoe cannot be straightened with your fingers. Corns form on the top of the toe and callouses on the ball of the foot when a toe becomes crooked due to a hammertoe. Both corns and callouses are irritations to the skin from the skin being caught between the bone and the shoe and rubbing excessively.