What's the deal with toe spacers + when and how to use them
Sep 25, 2024I am not big on buying 'recovery gadgets' but toe spacers are something that I think most people would benefit from using.
Maybe you have seen them and think they are weird.
Maybe you have no clue what I am talking about.
But if you haven't tried them, this article is going to give you some reasons why you should give them a shot. I will also give you some guidance on how to get starting using them.
Simply put, toe spacers stretch the foot into proper alignment and they counteract what happens to our feet when they are in shoes all day.
Several structures in the feet benefit from this 'realignment'.
First off the joints in the forefoot appreciate the space that comes with a natural foot splay. Shoes tend to cram feet into a shape that is not natural which overtime can irritate and even deform the joints (hello bunions).
Additionally, the muscles in the top and bottom of the feet love to be stretched in this manner. These muscles are working hard to stabilize the foot when you are on your feet walking/running. Allowing them time to get a prolonged stretch can do wonders for decreasing soreness.
And lastly, you have a lot of nerves in your feet. These nerves can get compressed when the joints are squished and the muscles are tight. Toe spacers are a fantastic way to avoid this from happening.
I recommend toe spacers for a few variety of reasons.
They are great for tissue recovery of the muscles and joints for all the reasons we chatted about already. But I also use them to help retrain foot mechanics. When we use them for this purpose, we have the client wear the toe spacers while performing rehab exercises.
For proper foot mechanics, we ask the foot to maintain what is called 'tripod' foot contact with the ground. This means that the joints below the big toe and little toe as well as the heel stay in contact with the ground with body weight evenly distributed. Often times with a dysfunctional foot, alignment of the toes makes tripod foot contact difficult to achieve (often through the joint at the base of the big toe). Wearing toe spacers, can help encourage this by placing the foot in advantageous position and alignment.
Toe spacers can also help facilitate a co-contraction of the intrinsic foot muscles that support the arch. This is beneficial when we are looking to strengthen the foot. Much of this falls back to proper alignment-when the big toe is in proper position it is easy to contract the muscles that support the arch. So I often may prescribe 'balance' type of exercises with toe spacers to get all those stabilizers firing while the foot is in good alignment.
If you are new to toe spacers they may feel a little weird (and possibly uncomfortable) when you first start wearing them. Many clients tell me their toes feel like they go numb the first few uses. These sensations go away, and your feet get used to it. They will likely even start to crave it!
I recommend starting out by wearing them for 15-30 minutes at a time while you are just hanging out at home reading, watching tv etc... You can gradually increase this time as it becomes more comfortable.
This is your passive stretch time and you can build up to a couple hours at a time for this purpose if you desire.
You may also want to start doing some 'active work' while wearing toe spacers. Simple balance exercises work great for this.
For example: Find tripod foot contact with the ground- keeping the heel and joints as the base of the big toe and little toe firmly planted. Your weight should be evenly distributed between these 3 spots. With a slight bend in your knee, move into a single leg stance position on this foot and see if you can hold your balance for 20-30 seconds. You should feel all the muscles in your foot and arch working hard!
There are several brands and styles of toe spacers currently on the market. I find them to be a bit like shoes in that each individual foot tends to prefer a different type of toe spacer. So for that reason, I cannot necessarily say that one brand is superior.. I think you may have to try out a couple different types and see which one works best for your feet.
With that said, these are the brands that my family prefers and uses.
First up is a brand called Correct Toes. These are definitely some of the most expensive on the market (about $60 a pair). My husband, Matt, wears these every day, up to 10 hours a day inside his combat boots. While they may be a bit more pricey than other brands, they are very durable and are easy to clean. His current pair is going on 3 years old of daily wear and use. They are meant for prolonged wear, so pretty comfortable but the downside to that is that the stretch isn't as significant as other brands. This is why they didn't work for my foot (not enough stretch), but they are great for my husband.
The brand that works best for my foot is The Toe Spacer which cost about $20 a pair. The plus side to these is the lower cost, the fact that they offer a more aggressive stretch, and they are nice and soft which makes them comfortable to move around in. The con for these is that they are harder to clean and they don't last as long ( I rend to replace mine every year or so). I do have an affiliate set up with The Toe Spacer so if you decide to try these out use code DOCMRAZ10 for a small discount :)
In summary, toe spacers are a fantastic recovery tool for sore feet as well as a rehab tool for improving foot function and strength. Anyone who wears shoes much of the day (which is most of us!) could benefit from time in toe spacers. Start with 15-20 minute wearing at a time and gradually build up as it becomes more comfortable. Feel free to test out some balance and mobility work while you wear them.
If you have any questions or want to chat more about toe spacers, shoot me an email at [email protected]
Yours in health,
Jamie