Harley Street · Keyhole techniques

Toe Surgery in London

Hammer toe, claw toe, toe shortening, crossover toe and corn surgery with Consultant Podiatric Surgeon Mr Kaser Nazir.

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21+ years NHS experience · Day-case surgery · Insured and self-funding patients

Painful, bent or overly long toes can make every pair of shoes uncomfortable. Toe surgery corrects the underlying deformity so the toe sits straight, stops rubbing and fits normal footwear again. Mr Kaser Nazir, Consultant Podiatric Surgeon, treats toe problems at London Foot & Ankle Surgery on Harley Street, using keyhole (minimally invasive) techniques wherever they suit the foot.

Toe conditions we treat

• Hammer toe – the toe bends down at the middle joint, forming a painful knuckle that rubs on shoes.
• Claw toe and mallet toe – the toe curls at several joints (claw) or droops at the tip (mallet), causing corns on the top or end of the toe.
• Long toes and Morton’s toe – a second or other toe that is longer than the big toe, pressing on the end of the shoe.
• Crossover and overlapping toes – often linked to a bunion or a damaged ligament under the ball of the foot.
• Painful corns on the toes – hard corns on the knuckle or tip, and soft corns between the toes, that keep coming back until the pressure causing them is corrected.

Why see a toe surgery specialist?

Toe deformities are progressive. A toe that is flexible today can stiffen over time, and the longer it stays bent, the more the joints, tendons and skin adapt to the wrong position. Early assessment means more options – including simpler procedures and keyhole surgery – and a straighter, more natural-looking result.

The practice performs more than 200 hammer toe operations a year, alongside a high volume of bunion surgery, so toe problems that sit alongside a bunion can often be corrected in the same operation.

What toe surgery involves

Most toe surgery is day surgery. You walk out the same day in a protective post-operative shoe. Depending on the problem, the operation may involve:

• releasing or lengthening tight tendons
• removing a small piece of bone to straighten or shorten the toe
• fusing the small joint of the toe so it stays straight
• repairing the ligament under the joint at the base of the toe
• keyhole techniques through incisions of a few millimetres

The procedure is usually carried out under local anaesthetic, with or without sedation. Read more on keyhole toe surgery and what recovery looks like.

Insured or self-funding

Toe surgery to correct a painful deformity is covered by most UK private medical insurers. Self-funding patients receive a written fee estimate after assessment, and monthly payment plans are available. See toe surgery costs.

Your surgeon

Mr Kaser Nazir FRCPodS is a Consultant Podiatric Surgeon with more than 21 years of NHS experience, holding an NHS consultant post at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and a past Dean of the Faculty of Podiatric Surgery. His specialist interests include hammer toe correction, forefoot reconstruction and minimally invasive foot surgery.