Toe Spacers for Better Mobility, Reduced Pain and Improved Performance
/Sometimes the smallest things (literally) can have a big impact! While these toe spaces may be tiny, they are mighty! At the recommendation of our FANTASTIC physical therapist Dr. Mark Bautista my husband and I started wearing them to help improve the alignment of our toes which can get squished and abused in shoes over time and from loads of activity like hiking and running. I started with just 10 minutes at night with my feet elevated while watching TV after dinner. And over time I added some movement like ankle circles and foot fists. And lately I’ve built up to walking in them a bit on my desk treadmill. I’ve been really impressed at how good my feet feel. I generally have stiff ankles from old injuries, a wonky baby toe on my left foot, tight calves and some hip and back pain that can pop up from an old injury years ago. I was impressed how consistently working on my toe alignment and foot mobility with these comfortable spacers has improved all these issues up the chain and has also noticeably improved my running performance.
“Wearing toe spacers may look a little silly, but is one of the best things you can do for your feet. Our toes tend to get squashed together in shoes due to toe boxes that are too narrow and this has an impact on your feet. The impact doesn’t stop there because the way you push off your foot through the ball of your foot and the way your foot can adapt to the ground and different movements we do can impact other joints like the knees and low back. Wearing toe spacers is an easy, low cost method of counteracting this impact to reduce pain and help avoid injury!”
Wearing toe spacers may look a little silly, but is one of the best things you can do for your feet. Our toes tend to get squashed together in shoes due to toe boxes that are too narrow and this has an impact on your feet. The impact doesn’t stop there because the way you push off your foot through the ball of your foot and the way your foot can adapt to the ground and different movements we do can impact other joints like the knees and low back. Wearing toe spacers is an easy, low cost method of counteracting this impact to reduce pain and help avoid injury!
As always, check with your physical therapist or medical professional to see if toe spacers may help with your goals. And start small with five minutes or so with your feet elevated. If you experience pain or discomfort stop. Remember, I’m a trainer with more than a decade’s experience. But I’m not a doctor. But I do like to share what’s working for me and my clients in an effort to promote good practices for my community to consider.
Here’s more reading from the Cleveland Clinic, Gait Happens and Runner’s World. These are the ones I wear. They are easy to put on and only $10 on Amazon.
