Should You Wear Toe Spacers?
*Quick note: Correct Toes is an affiliate of Healthy Feet Alliance, meaning we may make a small commission from your purchase. We only promote products that align with our mission and add value to your life.
If you’ve ever used toe spacers during a pedicure, you know that a little wiggle room between the toes can feel pretty darn good. That’s because the separation is part of the natural alignment of our feet, allowing each toe to move independently. (This is also known as toe splay.) Unlike the flimsy ones used for pedicures, products like Correct Toes help create enough space to restore optimal foot function, building strength, flexibility, and stability.
Correct Toes clear toe spacers
Now, these silicone tools that fit between your toes are specially designed to support natural alignment and are becoming a go-to in the world of natural footwear. Even the Wall Street Journal recognizes the benefits of toe spacers, calling them a new fitness trend.
Why Use Toe Spacers?
Think of the foot as a tripod, ideally balanced with equal weight between the heel, big toe, and little toe. The wider the base of support, the more stability your foot has. Take a look at a baby’s foot and you will see a beautiful tripod with the toes being the widest point of the foot. However, proper weight distribution is compromised when restrictive shoes scrunch up the toes like canned sardines. Over time, the shape of your feet changes to adapt to your shoes, causing deformities. If you’ve seen a ballerina’s feet, you know how dramatically feet can conform when tight shoes are worn for hours every day.
Babies feet with toes spread wide
Most modern shoes aren’t as extreme as ballet slippers, but the effect is similar. Toe boxes in conventional shoes do not have enough room for the toes to spread out, causing pain, inflammation, and inefficient movement patterns. A side effect of these restrictions is poor balance, which becomes more of a concern with age. Studies show that narrow footwear leads to an increased risk of falling as we age, so working on your toe splay will help you now and as you age!
A couple’s feet wearing fancy and pointed dress shoes
To get the most out of toe spacers, we recommend using them along with natural footwear that offers a foot-shaped toe box and enough room for the toes to splay. Used on their own for short periods can be somewhat helpful, but you’ll get more out of them if use them while you’re active.
Correct Toes being washed in the sink
Correct Toes are the only brand we recommend for wearing while you are active, because they are anatomically designed. Other brands may put the toes in an excessively splayed position. While this is nice for a quick toe stretch, it is not intended for them to be worn for long periods or while active. Also, Supplementing with strengthening exercises like Toe Yoga and Short Foot when you’re not wearing them will also go a long way in gaining stability.
How do Toe Spacers Help?
So, you know that letting your toes spread is a good thing. But what are the changes that you will start to notice over time? Here are some things you’re likely to experience by using them consistently, along with your natural footwear and strengthening exercises:
Improve Balance
Toe splay naturally leads to better proprioception, or your body’s sense of space. The sensory receptors in the toes are stimulated and then send information to the rest of your body. Your nervous system then responds by organizing movement and adapting to the terrain. Toe spacers support the foot’s natural ability to feel and sense surfaces, giving you better overall awareness and coordination.
A woman balancing on one foot as she walks along a boulder near water
Balance is also achieved through foot strength and alignment. Splayed toes provide a stable foundation for movement in the rest of the foot, which is especially important for changing direction and preventing falls.
2. Build Strength
When your toes are aligned, your arches can more effectively hold weight. Correct Toes put the toes in the proper position to activate the intrinsic muscles in your feet, which are necessary for loading and launching your weight during gait. In a study that measured foot strength in athletes using a pressure pad, participants doubled their average strength after four weeks of using Correct Toes.
Bare feet sporting blue Correct Toes standing on a mossy rock
3. Reduce Risk of Injury and Pain
Working toward balance and strength also helps reduce injury. It allows the body to perceive impact force when we walk or run and respond appropriately. It also leads to better shock absorption by putting less stress, pressure, and friction on the foot joints.
By reducing stress on specific areas of the feet, toe spacers can also help minimize plantar fasciitis, bunions, and other painful conditions that prevent movement. If you want to know more about natural footwear and injuries, check out our blog post Do Barefoot Shoes Really Cause Injury?
4. Increased Circulation
When toes are squeezed together blood flow is inhibited. Toe spacers can open the way for better circulation, warmth, and overall function.
A building energy auditor in Spain who uses Correct Toes got curious and measured circulation using an infrared camera. He found significant improvement in circulation after wearing Correct Toes for just two hours!
Infrared images showing more heat and blood flow in the foot that is wearing Correct Toes compared to the foot that is not wearing Correct Toes
He put Correct Toes on his right foot, but not the left, and went about his day. A couple of hours later, the infrared images showed greater circulation and warmth (nearly three degrees!) in his right toes.
Who doesn’t want warmer feet?
Increased circulation may also help people who suffer from Raynaud’s, a health condition that affects the ability of blood vessels to vasodilate, resulting in poor circulation. If you have Raynaud’s, check with a health care professional before you try it–especially if the condition impedes sensation in your feet.
To find a health care professional who can help, head to our directory.
How Do I Know If I Need Toe Spacers?
Ideally, your toes should be able to move independently of each other. Try picking up just your big toe to see if it can move by itself while the other toes stay on the ground. If you wear shoes that squish your toes together, chances are this will be difficult.
Bare foot
Toe spacers are versatile and almost anyone can benefit, but here are a few signs that you should add them to your routine:
You have crossed toes, hammer toes or bunions
Daily foot pain or inflammation prevents you from doing activities you enjoy
You run, walk, hike, or work out in natural footwear
You’re thinking about switching to natural footwear, or you're in the process of transitioning
You want to work on your balance to prevent falls later in life
You want a more active lifestyle and movement longevity
It’s difficult or impossible to move your toes one at a time
Where Do I Get Toe Spacers?
As the Healthy Feet Alliance, we recommend Correct Toes, which were created by Dr. Ray MacClanahan, a sports podiatrist and one of our Executive Members. Correct Toes are durable, and appropriate for bare feet, socks, natural footwear, or while walking or running. Wearing them while active is safe and can actually help boost the benefits, so don’t be shy about putting them on before you head out for a run. Just make sure your shoes have a foot-shaped toe box with plenty of room for splay. For some of our favorites, go check out our recommended shoe list.
Correct Toes are great for both children and adults. They come in four different sizes with slots on the end of the spacers to customize the amount of spacing between toes. They are made from medical-grade silicone and adapt easily to the shape of your foot for comfort and versatility.
If you’re just starting on your journey to healthier feet, you may want to transition gradually into Correct Toes. Try wearing them for short periods, then gradually increase the duration.
How Long Does it Take Toe Spacers to Work?
The amount of time it takes to see results varies from person to person. It depends on your goals, foot type, how often you use them, your activity level, daily footwear, and what else you do to improve your foot health. Correct Toes are just one part of the equation, so the more you do to supplement the effects, the more quickly you’ll notice change.
Bare feet and a hand of someone sitting on a large rock outside
Taking care of your feet is a lifelong process. It requires some patience. In a culture that expects instant results, it’s important to take a step back and remember that bodies need time to adapt. Toe spacers are not a fast-track cure for foot pain. They are a tool made to help you build strength and efficiency over time. . . all the more reason to start today!
