Hammertoe Surgery

If your toe has become so rigid and bent that it's painful and/or interferes with daily life, then surgery may make sense for you.

Find the right surgeon that fits your needs below, serving Canadians in major cities like Vancouver, British Columbia; Edmonton, Alberta; Toronto, Ontario; and Montréal, Québec.

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Reviewed and approved by Dr. Sean Haffey
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Decide where to go

To get private surgery in Canada, you'll generally need to travel out of province. So your first step is deciding where makes sense for you.
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Search by specialty

The Surgency app makes it easy to search Surgeons by specialty, location, and procedure.
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Schedule a consult

You can schedule a consult directly on the Surgency platform. It's secure, private, and fast.

How do I get private hammertoe surgery in Canada?

  1. Research. Explore surgeons who specialize in private hammertoe surgery.
  • You can find surgeons in Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Toronto, Ontario; and Montréal, Québec on our app, and review qualifications, as well as pricing.
  1. Schedule an initial consultation. Most surgeons offer in-clinic and online consults.
  • Consultations are usually booked within days or a few weeks.
  • Note: expect a consultation fee between $150 - $350
  1. Consultation. The surgeon will review your condition, symptoms, and any previous treatments or diagnostics, such as x-rays or MRIs.
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  2. Post consultation. The surgeon will then review your case and provide surgical options based on your needs (i.e. total or partial replacement); review the risks and expected outcomes; and present pricing and scheduling options.
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  3. Schedule your surgery date. Once you confirm the procedure and payment, the clinic will schedule your surgery—generally within a few weeks.
  1. Surgery. The clinic will provide you with attendance instructions.
  • The operation usually takes 1-2 hours per toe.
  • You will likely be discharged within hours of your surgery.
  1. Post-operative care. The clinic will provide you with an extensive hammertoe surgery recovery plan that includes physiotherapy, pain management, and further monitoring.
  • Note: please take post-operative care seriously. The more diligently this process is followed, the better the outcome tends to be.
bad example of hammertoe

Hammertoe surgery frequently asked questions

How do I know if hammertoe surgery is right for me?

Hammertoe surgery makes sense for people whose toe deformity causes ongoing pain or problems despite non-surgical care.

You may be a good candidate if you're experiencing:

  • Persistent pain, corns/calluses from shoe pressure that don’t improve with wider shoes, pads, toe spacers, or orthotics
  • Rigid or progressively worsening toe deformity (toe won’t straighten or keeps popping back)
  • Difficulty fitting footwear or walking due to the bent toe
  • Recurrent wounds/skin breakdown over the toe from rubbing
  • Associated problems needing correction (e.g. severe bunion or crossover toe) where surgery can address all causes together

Who might try more nonoperative treatment first:

  • Mild, flexible deformity with manageable symptoms
  • People who improve with shoe changes, padding, toe sleeves, spacers, taping, or custom orthotics

Ultimately, your surgeon will advise you whether surgery makes sense, given your unique circumstances.

How much does private hammertoe surgery cost in Canada?

Private clinics in Canada charge between $4,000 - $8,000 per foot.

In the United States, the average cost is CA$9,600 per foot.

Costs vary so much because of location, surgeon experience, facility type, complexity, and included services (some clinics offer all-inclusive, while others charge separately for anesthesia, followup care, etc.).

You also need to take into account the cost of travel and accommodation when travelling out of province.

Do I need a referral?

No, you do not need a referral for private hammertoe surgery in Canada. You can book a consultation directly with a surgeon, and they will review your condition, symptoms, and any previous treatments or diagnostics.

What is hammertoe surgery? How does it work?

Hammertoe surgery fixes a toe that’s bent at the middle joint (usually the second toe) because the tendons/ligaments are too tight or the joint has become rigid. The goal is to straighten the toe, relieve pain from shoe pressure/corns, and restore function.

How it works (depends on whether the toe is flexible or rigid):

  • Flexible deformity (early stage)
    • The surgeon lengthens or releases tight tendons and ligaments (often the flexor tendon) so the toe can straighten.
    • Sometimes a tendon transfer moves the flexor tendon to the top of the toe to help hold it straight.
  • Rigid deformity (fixed bend)
    • PIP joint arthroplasty: removes a small piece of bone at the joint to allow the toe to straighten.
    • PIP joint fusion (arthrodesis): removes joint cartilage and aligns the bones to fuse straight. A temporary pin, screw, or implant holds it while it heals. Fusion is common for durable correction.
  • Additional procedures if needed
    • Extensor tendon lengthening if the top of the toe is tight.
    • Metatarsal shortening osteotomy (Weil osteotomy) if the joint at the ball of the foot is overloaded.
    • Corn/callus removal and skin/bursa care.
    • Address bunion or crossover toe if contributing to deformity.

How do I prepare for hammertoe surgery?

Your surgeon will provide you with guidance on how to prepare.

If you smoke, you will be advised to stop to improve healing outcomes. Depending on your weight, you may be advised to diet and exercise to reduce surgical risks and improve healing outcomes.

Plan help: a ride home; someone to assist first 24 hours; plan time off work (desk: ~1–2 weeks; manual: 4–8+ weeks).

Home setup: elevate station (pillows/recliner), ice packs, clear paths, shower chair if useful, loose clothing and wide toe-box post-op shoe/sandal.

Footwear: arrange roomy shoes for the recovery phase; if a pin will protrude, confirm protection plan.

What are the risks involved in hammertoe surgery? What are the risks of delaying surgery?

Risks of hammertoe surgery

  • Common, usually short-term
    • Pain, swelling, bruising
    • Temporary stiffness, toe numbness/tingling
    • Scar sensitivity; “shoe rub” discomfort while swelling settles
  • Occasional
    • Infection, delayed wound healing
    • Hematoma/seroma; prolonged swelling
    • Hardware irritation or pin problems (loosened, catching on socks/shoes)
    • Under‑correction or over‑correction; residual deformity
    • Floating toe (toe lifts off the ground) or transfer metatarsalgia (pain under adjacent toes)
  • Less common but important
    • Nonunion or delayed union after fusion/osteotomy
    • Nerve injury or painful neuroma
    • Stiffness limiting push‑off; reduced toe flex
    • Blood clots (rare; risk rises with smoking, immobility, prior DVT)
    • Need for revision surgery or hardware removal

Risks of delaying hammertoe surgery

  • Progressive deformity: Flexible toes can become rigid and harder to correct.
  • Worsening pain/corns/calluses: More skin breakdown, bursitis, or ulcers (especially with diabetes or poor circulation).
  • Adjacent problems: Overload under the ball of the foot (metatarsalgia), crossover toe, bunion progression.
  • Shoe/Activity limits: Reduced walking tolerance, gait changes leading to knee/hip/back strain.
  • More complex later surgery: May require bone procedures (fusion/osteotomy), implants, longer recovery, higher complication risk.
  • Rare acute issues: Infected corns or ulcers if skin breaks down.

When waiting is reasonable: mild, flexible deformity controlled by wider shoes, pads, spacers, and orthotics; when optimizing health first (stop smoking, diabetes control). Seek earlier surgery for rigid/worsening deformity, recurrent wounds, or persistent pain despite proper footwear and padding.

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Why use Surgency

For Canadians who want surgery in weeks, not months

Surgency is a free resource by a Canadian physician in the public system to help you find the right surgeon for your needs.
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What can I expect from the hammertoe surgery recovery process?

The recovery process varies patient to patient. Your recovery might look quite different, so please seek further guidance from your surgeon. In general here is what you can expect:

Week 1:

  • Goals: Pain and swelling management, wound protection, initial basic movement.
  • Activities:
    • Same day discharge, likely with a post-operative shoe or sandal.
    • Elevated rest for most of the day.
    • Focus on keeping the area clean to avoid infection.
    • Limited walking or weight-bearing.

Weeks 2-4:

  • Goals: Wound healing and slowly ramping up activity.
  • Activities:
    • Wound care, possibly removing stitches.
    • Transition to regular footwear.
    • Increase walking distance and slowly resume normal daily activities.
    • Start physiotherapy, as directed.
    • Returning to work, depending on how physically demanding your job is.
    • Potentially driving if you can perform an emergency stop (i.e. slamming on the breaks).

Weeks 5-12:

  • Goals: Increase mobility and strength.
  • Activities:
    • Continue to push for longer distances walking.
    • Resuming most normal activities.
    • Returning to work where spend a lot of time on your feet.

Weeks 13-52:

  • Goals: Regain full or near-full range of motion, recover your lost strength and stamina, and slowly return to normal activity levels and sports.
  • Activities:
    • Physical therapy may continue the entire first year post operation, gradually bringing you back to your activity levels pre-surgery.
    • Daily exercises are no longer essential once you achieve normal range of motion and strength, but routine exercise is encouraged to keep muscles strong.
    • You will be able to return to low impact sports like golf, tennis, swimming, or cycling. For anything high impact, please consult your surgeon and physio.
hammertoe surgery recovery in a boot

Looking for a hammertoe surgeon?

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