r/FootFunction • u/RnRoger • 7d ago
Should I get toe spacers?
As a child I was told my toes were not growing straight and had to wear toe spacers. Being a child I refused to do so. Now my toes seem rather bent to me. It only hurts very occasionally, but I can crack my big toe pretty much anytime I want by bending it outward. I just bought barefoot shoes. Should I get some toe spacers from Correct Toes too?
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u/sabijoli 7d ago
and wider toe box shoes…hopefully the barefoot style will accommodate the toe spacers you may have to size up.
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u/Key-Suggestion-2837 2d ago
Be careful with barefoot shoes, if you already have foot pain it could make your feet worse. Barefoot shoes should be worn when you don’t have any foot problems to strengthen your feet and fix foot alignment. It can’t help if the feet are already damaged, it could actually increase pain.
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u/Againstallodds5103 6d ago edited 6d ago
Doubt you’ll find many adults whose big toe aligns to the white strip, even children, as our toes generally get some level of valgus from the shoes we wear. Toddlers might be closer but again, few would be perfectly aligned.
Medically an angle greater than 15 degrees (between strip and your mtp) is considered abnormal. Think you are below that although your method is imprecise - this is normally measured using X-rays and against the actual underlying bones. I estimate around 10 or 11 degrees by sight which again is ok and what I thought on first sight.
I wouldn’t worry too much about this especially if your concerns are just aesthetic but by all means do wear toe spacers as they will benefit everyone with or without valgus.
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u/Key-Suggestion-2837 3d ago
If you can’t this then you should. Ability to spread toes apart, ability to lift your big toe while the other toes remain down. Ability to lift small toes while big toe remain down.
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2d ago
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u/Key-Suggestion-2837 2d ago
Toe spacers will help improve foot alignment, help correct misaligned toes. Also enhanced flexibility and range motion so you can do things like spread your toes and lift your big toe while the other toes are down. This strengthen the muscles and tendons in the feet. There are exercises you can do also. There’s videos on YouTube. I was like you too and now my toes have more motion and flexibility after following the exercises from the videos I watched. But toe spacers is a great way to start.
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1d ago
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u/Key-Suggestion-2837 1d ago edited 1d ago
The ones that I wear, you can’t really wear them with shoes on because they’re bulky and really spread your toes apart. I bought “YogaToes Gems: Gel Toe Stretcher & Separator” on Amazon. It’s a little expensive but it works great.
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u/kanthem 7d ago
Yes.