Assessment of the severity of curly toe

Background: Curly/underlapping toe involves flexion, adduction, and varus deformity of the interphalangeal joints. There are no previous reports showing the relationship between physical examination and X-ray findings among patients with curly toe deformity.

Methods: We investigated the clinical findings of 116 consecutive patients associated with 239 underlapping toes. We compared the age and affected toes between patients whose deformities were pointed out at a pediatric medical examination (group 1) and those referred for medical treatment (group 2). The degree of curly toe deformity was graded by a physical examination and X-ray.

Results: The average age at presentation was 2.7 years. The affected toes were significantly different between groups 1 and 2 (p < .001). The morbidity of each toe differed significantly in group 2 (p < .005) but not in group 1. The correlation between the appearance grading and classification by X-ray was very strong using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The severity of curly toe was divided into mild in 104 toes, moderate in 105 toes, and severe in 17 toes. The methods of conservative treatment were observation only in 15 cases, manipulations in 30 cases, taping in 67 cases, and a brace in 9 cases. Surgery was performed in 8% of cases.

Conclusion: Curly toe deformity of the third or fourth toes tend to be referred for medical treatment because of the abnormality. Our grading system using a physical examination and classification by X-ray was useful for assessing the severity of curly toe.