A hammertoe is marked by a contracture of the tendons, laxity of the ligaments, and angulation of the second and third phalanges of the toe.

Hammertoes, one of the most painful foot ailments, can be traced directly to the wearing of narrow, pointed-toe shoes. Women most often are the victims of hammertoes. Most of the time, female footwear is not much wider at the front than at the heel, and the outline of the normal foot is rounded. The combination of narrow shoe and wide foot, of pointed shoe...