[Updated 1 September 2023]
Toe separators, spacers, stretchers or spreaders can be very helpful in winning the war against your compromised foot. When you experience pain from bunions, hammer toes or plantar fasciitis, toe spacers are a way to relief.
They come in various shapes, sizes and prices. Over the past few years we’ve tried and tested many different types. We’ve selected the ‘best’, our personal favorites, as it really depends on current foot shape, use and budget.
If we have to point out certain characteristics we found YogaToes to give the maximum stretch. But ‘standard silicone’ ones may be a better fit for testing and small budgets. Let’s dive in.
When it’s time for toe spacers
Do you consider using a tool to spread your toes? Then ask yourself what kind of benefit you hope to get out of them first. Also know it will take quite a bit of time to re-align and fix decades of compromising footwear.
Spending time in toe spacers won’t magically fix your feet, also be prepared to train your feet to regain your natural foot function. If you predominantly wear shoes that force your feet in shoe-shape, you can expect little to no effect.
Have a look below to see when it’s time for some toe spreading action. Your big toe and pinky toe should point outwards, not inwards. Rest assured not many people maintain perfect foot alignment after wearing tight footwear.
Healthy feet have wide spread out toes (illustration left). The big toe should be able to function separate from the other toes. The big toe is your anker for movement and direction.
The wider the spread of your toes, the bigger your base of support. This translates into a better ability to balance your weight transferred during motion.
A simple visual check can shed a light on your toe-spread. Do they look like the foot on the left or more like the one on the right? A sign of callouses on the side of your toes and a small toe that’s sort of ‘folded inwards’ are clear signs of compromised feet crying out for toe-freedom.
CorrectToes Toe Spacer ($65)
If you’re looking for toe spacers CorrectToes are clearly the most expensive, setting you back around 65 US Dollars or Euros. A lot of money for a piece of silicone. Then again, if it helps your foot health maybe price shouldn’t be your main concern.
In their own words: “Correct Toes help the foot rehabilitate from the negative effects of conventionally shaped footwear.” As a tool they can be very effective as you can wear them in your shoes (during movement) if you have wide enough shoes that is. Unfortunately not many shoes will accommodate CorrectToes very well. They have a full list of shoes that they recommend but buying shoes to fit CorrectToes is probably stretching it a bit too far.
The spacers are made of firm (a little rigid) and smooth, flexible silicone, encouraging the toes back into their natural alignment. Natural alignment means wider feet at the front with a strong functioning big toe. The material feels durable, depending on amount of use and foot shape they should last long enough to see some positive changes.
Nice thing about them is they’re flexible in function too. They can be adjusted to fit both ‘beginners’ and more ‘experienced’ barefooters. As your big toe position spreads more, it’s possible to add some thickness to help your big or little toe spread even further.
Although they do not sit around the big and small toe they stay in place pretty well, but this will also depend on your current foot shape. We found wearing CorrectToes most comfortable walking in and around the house in combination with toe-socks. They work great with sandals too. With an open toe-box you have no worries about a cramped fit.
Original YogaToes Toe Stretchers ($37)
YogaToes offers two different type of products one for more ‘advanced’ users (Original) and one to help you ease more into it (Gems). We’ve been using Original YogaToes for our review. They give a solid, proper stretch which may take some time to get used to.
Taking it slow is the best way to go. Start with 15 minutes, then add more time. What feels sort of uncomfortable at first might change into an addictive habit where your toes will crave for some stretching.
Material used is medical grade silicone (all are actually). Difference is that YogaToes fit snugly around your toes from bottom to top. You really need to position your toes in place one by one.
Once you have them on you can just sit back and relax, read a book or watch TV as you’re stretching out your toes. The thickness, density and solid feel make them especially suited to wear barefoot.
They are absolutely not meant for movement, even standing or walking a little on these is almost impossible maybe even painful for untrained feet. So sit down while you spread ’em!
Priced around 37 USD YogaToes aren’t exactly cheap either, the design however is well thought out and after 3 years of regular use they still look pretty good. If you have these laying around your coffee table you’ll definitely feel the urge to put them on just to make your feet happy again. Downside is their not meant for use during movement.
The Foot Collective (TFC) Toe Spreaders ($20)
This is probably one of the most affordable type of toe spacers called ‘Wild Toes’ offered by The Foot Collective. Having a ‘one size fits all’ proposition plus a very affordable price point they put foot health in reach for everybody. So how do they work?
They sit around all toes with a thin silicone band. The silicone used is extremely soft and very pliable/stretchy. The softness makes these silicone toe separators more suitable for beginners and people who like to move while training their feet actively. They even come with a 12 month guarantee.
The spacers between the toes are made of the same silicone so these also feel soft to the touch. Don’t let that fool you, they give your toes a proper workout. The set comes with a big toe resistance band too!
All in all The Foot Collective made this Wild Toes set great value for money. TFC has grown into an active community of foot nerds who understand the benefits of barefoot health. Be aware, once you dip your toes there’s no going back… (Get a 10% discount on any order using our coupon code: THESOLESHOW)
Naboso Splay Toe Separators ($30)
Naboso Splay Toe Separators are comparable to the Standard Silicone Toe Spreaders, however material used is of higher quality making them our favorite pair for daily pain relief and toe correction. No stickiness which keeps the toe separators nice and clean. The band around the big toe is also much thicker so they stay in position better.
The density of the silicone is pliable enough for beginners and the thickness of the spacers is designed to give most feet a functional workout. They come in a nice pouch to keep them together in your gym-bag. Delivered with a video series for programming this is the complete package.
You can wear them in minimal or functional footwear with a wide toe-box. Compared to CorrectToes they feel much more ‘forgiving’ with a better fit in almost every pair of shoes as long as it has a wide toe-box. Being able to have toe correction while walking or performing other activities is the ultimate way to re-wire your brain and improve toe-function.
If you don’t have very functional shoes, try to wear the toe spreaders in and around the house with some toe-socks. Or you can wear Naboso Splay Toe Separators inside regular socks, a nice extra if you don’t have a collection of toe-socks yet.
Naboso offers a wide range of helpful tools to promote foot health. Starting slow has never been this difficult 😉
Four-Toes Mobility Toe Spacers ($24)
The Earth Runners 4-toe spacers are made from superior medical-grade silicone, ensuring durability. They also feature unique voided holes between the toes, providing a squishy feel that enhances comfort. These holes also allow for modification of the toe spacer widths, to increase spacing effects.
The 4-toes spacers, are specifically designed for toes 2-5 and come in 3 sizes. They do not spread the big toe, which sets them apart from all other spacers. Earth Runners’ design offers moderate spacing between the toes, allowing for all-day comfort. The idea is you work your big toe separately using their resistance band.
This may not sound like a solution if your big toe needs work, but in fact the opposite is true. Most compromised feet have a serious ‘big toe issue’ where it’s folded inwards so much that wearing other toe spacers is too painful. If this is the case, we’d recommend their Restoration Kit ($29) so you can ease into relaxing, stretching and activating your feet accordingly. You can easily keep the 4-toes spacers on alternating daily wear with big toe activities for mobility.
Another benefit is you can wear them while moving in barefoot sandals. No toe-box with a protective sole is the perfect environment for toe training with compromised feet.
In conclusion
If you’re opting for maximum stretch (not recommended for beginners), YogaToes are the way to go. They are simple to use and great for a toe-workout when you’re actually relaxing. For active movers on the foot health path looking for toe-correction, we recommend Naboso Splay, having best material and use case for most feet.
We absolutely love the 4-Toes Spacers too. But you’ll have to opt for the restoration pack to get all five toes working. Earth Runners’ approach is very well thought out. Wearing them with no toe-box sandals is an absolute plus.
Using these last two tools while moving will jumpstart your progress to foot health. Wear them inside regular socks and no-one will notice you’re working your feet!
One final note on this subject. As with any new habit or training tool, it’s important to take things slow. Your body will tell you when its had enough or when it’s time to back off. Improvement comes by walking the fine line of just the right amount of stimulation.
Not too much, not too little. Some discomfort is okay, but when you experience pain, always back off.
Best for daily wear: Naboso Splay Toe Separators ($30) >
(10% Off coupon code: THESOLESHOW)
Best with barefoot sandals: 4-Toes Restoration Kit ($29) >