> ... toes ... curl down ... When I walk it hurts. My podiatrist says
> I need to have the tendon on the bottom of the toes cut ...
The condition, not peculiar to TM, is known as "hammer toe". I have it,
without the pain, on my right foot next to the big toe. There are
alleviating products on the market --- talk to your local medical
equipment store. I remember seeing such products mentioned in an old
adaptAbility catalog (800-288-9941)
I have a SERIOUS problem with the adjacent big toe. My spasticity (which
is a TM side effect) causes (under local stress such as pain, walking
barefoot, fatigue, or wearing hard shoes) the big toe to point straight
down at the last joint. That jams the toe between the sole of the shoe
and the top, causing more local stress, causing more jamming, causing
etc. Cutting the tendon has been mentioned since the anti-spasticity
medications aren't solving the problem. In the case of the big toe,
cutting the tendon degrades one's ability to balance, etc. I am not yet
opting for the knife.
A home made solution might do it, but keep in mind circulation and skin
break-down possibilities. If you have vascular insufficiency (as I do)
or diabetes, don't even think of it.
Alton, who often does home made solutions