Hammertoe Surgery

This pre-operative photograph shows a 5th hammertoe, right foot.  The white area on the side of the toe is where a painful skin lesion was located. The foot has been scrubbed with Betadine, an orange colored disinfectant solution.

Two skin incisions are made over the top of the 5th toe. Note the minimal amount of bleeding.

A wedge of skin is removed from the top of the toe.

A transverse cut is made across the top of the toe joint. The white structure in the middle of the incision site is the tendon.

The head of the proximal phalanx (one of the bones in the toe) is being held by the forceps on the right, and being freed by the scalpel blade on the left side.

A surgical bone cutting forceps is used to cut a small part of the bone.

A small piece of bone is removed from the hammertoe.

This is the position of the toe after the piece of bone has been removed.  Again, note the limited bleeding.

The toe is sewn together with black nylon sutures.

The final sutures are placed in the completed hammertoe surgery.