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  • Toe problems in childhood

Toe problems in childhood

Advice and information regarding toe problems for children and young people.

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Paediatric Orthopaedic Service/ Toe problems

Information Version 3 (Code: 4.6.3)

Date of Issue: August 2017

Date of review: January 2022

Review Date: January 2025

If review date has passed, the content will apply until the next version is published

It is very common for children’s toes to overlap each other and appear to be curled up. This is because children’s toes are small and very flexible. Although the toes can look a bit funny it is very rare for this to cause any problems. Having curly toes does not affect a child’s ability to walk or cause them to trip up. 

Most curling, overlapping or under-riding of children’s toes improves slowly as their feet grow. Their toes become less flexible and lie straighter. This happens naturally during growth and is not affected by strapping or toe splints or special shoes. 

There is no simple operation to straighten a child’s toe and surgery can result in a stiff, short and painful toe which is far worse than a curled up but painless one. For this reason we very rarely recommend surgery for children’s toes and only consider it if the curled toe is painful and blistering. 

The most important thing for a child’s foot development is to ensure that they have adequately sized shoes. This means that children under 3 years should have their feet measured every 3 months and children older than this should be measured at least every 6 months. 

Accessible formats

If you require this information in a community language or alternative format e.g. Braille, audio, large print, BSL, Easy Read please contact the Equality and Human Rights Team at: email: fife.EqualityandHumanRights@nhs.scot or phone 01592 729130. For people with a hearing or verbal impairment you can also contact the team via the NHS Fife SMS text service number on 07805800005.

You can also find health related information on many topics in an Easy Read format on nhsinform.scot.

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Last Updated: 24 August 2023
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