Big Toe Stretch
In this informative video, Dr. Ray McClanahan—a sports podiatrist at Northwest Foot and Ankle and the inventor of Correct Toes—discusses (and demonstrates!) a helpful manual technique for stretching... Read more
Educational Articles
Toe Extensor Stretch
The Toe Extensor Stretch—a simple stretch of the toe extensor muscles and tendons—is perhaps the single most important stretch or exercise for foot health. Most conventional shoes possess about 15 to 20 degrees of toe spring, or upward toe ramping, which, along with heel elevation, creates imbalances in the flexor and extensor muscles and tendons that act on the foot. Overly tight toe extensor muscles and tendons may lead to several foot-specific health problems, including capsulitis, hammertoes, neuromas, plantar fasciosis, and plantar fibromatosis. The Toe Extensor Stretch acts to rebalance the pull of toe flexor and extensor muscles/tendons and restore normal toe alignment.
In this video, Dr. Ray McClanahan, a sports podiatrist at Northwest Foot and Ankle and the inventor of Correct Toes, discusses how to perform this helpful stretch and offers several variations that you can perform on your own, in your own home or office.
Disclaimer:
The above content is for educational or informational purposes only and is not intended to replace or augment professional medical instruction, diagnosis, or treatment. Read full disclaimer here.About the Author
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Hammertoe Stretch & Mobilization
In this video, Dr. Ray McClanahan, a sports podiatrist at Northwest Foot and Ankle and the inventor of Correct Toes, demonstrates a two-part stretch that can be... Read more
WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR FOOT HEALTH?
Let the team at Natural Footgear help you! Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest offers and helpful info, and sign up for our FREE email courses on various topics and foot health conditions.
Essential Footgear:
$65.00
$10.00
$14.00
$55.00
$30.00
$30.00
Great video. I really enjoy this stretch. It helps with relieving tension and is increasing the flexibility in my hammertoes. The foot doctor said my toes will never be straight without surgery, but some doctors also stated that people would never walk again. Thanks for the education and resources. This information makes good sense.
Hi, Mitch,
Thank you for your comment! I’m very pleased that you enjoyed the video and have found the Toe Extensor Stretch to be beneficial. It’s a good one. In terms of sharing educational materials and resources, it’s totally our pleasure! Please do let us know if you have any other thoughts or questions.
Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC
I’m in law enforcement and decided I’d give this barefoot stuff a try. I’ve been suffering from ball of foot pain as a result of my hammertoes and long hours of walking on concrete floors. Initially I was sold on all extra cushion, shock absorbing material, and supports. But after coming into contact with Correct Toes and the common sense surrounding natural foot health, I decided to buy a pair of belleville mini-mil boots. I love them for how they make my feet feel. After wearing them for some time I decided to put on my Matterhorns because we had gotten about 10 inches of snow. I walked to the car and I immediately began to feel my foot pain intensify. By the time I got back to the house I had a slight limp in my gait due to pain/discomfort.
Now I am waiting on the Lems Nine2five in black. If I can help it, I’m never going back to toe spring, metallic shank, high heel, support boasting, pointed toe boots or shoes for the rest of my life. At 32 years old I can really appreciate natural, healthy feet.
Hi, Mitch,
Thank you for your excellent comment. We support you in your decision to avoid conventional footwear, with all its many injurious design features. I really appreciate your journey toward optimal foot and toe health, and I wish you all the best with your foot rehabilitation.
The Lems Nine2five in black is now available on the Natural Footgear site:
www.naturalfootgear.com/collections/mens-shoes/products/lems-nine2five-black
Cheers!
Marty Hughes, DC
I’ve been doing this stretch every day to help heal my neuroma and capsulitis—yes I have both. My question is how often should I be doing the stretch? Once a day? Several times a day? Thanks for your input.
Also, before learning about this stretch and how often the nerves on the bottom of the foot are stretched because of inappropriate footwear I was doing the opposite stretch, where I was stretching my toes upward. Now I’m afraid to do that stretch because I don’t want to lengthen anything more than it already is. Am I correct in this? Even when I squat down to get stuff out of the washer I don’t want my toes to flex upward because I’m trying to reverse so many problems and pain. I’d appreciate input on this as well. Thanks so much.
Greetings, Tessa!
Thank you for your comment and questions. In our experience, we’ve found it best to perform the Toe Extensor Stretch at least several times per day, holding the stretch for at least 30 seconds to really relax those tight toe extensors.
In general, we have not found the reverse stretch to be necessary or helpful, as almost everyone has tight toe extensors, not toe flexors (i.e., the toe flexors are already stretched beyond ideal length in most shoe-wearing people). That being said, I don’t think you should avoid your activities of daily living that involve stretching your toe flexors. These movements are natural, temporary, and should not necessarily impact your foot health in a negative way.
Foot-healthy footwear, toe spacers, metatarsal pads, and key foot exercises, including the Toe Extensor Stretch, are what we have historically found to provide lasting results for folks with neuromas and capsulitis. If you have any questions about any of the above, please feel free to reach out to us!
Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC
Wonderful video by Dr. Ray! Very clear instructions and video illustrations.
Hi, Daddy,
Thank you for your kind comment! We love the video and the stretch too!
Love,
Robyn Hughes, ND
My husband suffers from “second toe capsulitis.” He was prescribed off-loading metatarsal inserts. These do not seem to be helping. What is the best shoe (type and brand)? The lady who fitted his inserts said he needs a deeper shoe. He is currently in a Hoka running shoe and works on his feet all day. Any advice would be helpful!
Hi, Jennifer,
Thank you for your comment. We’re sorry to hear that your husband is dealing with capsulitis.
In our experience, we’ve found that conventional footwear with tapering toe boxes, toe spring, heel elevation, rigid soles, and built-in artificial arch props tend to have a direct effect on the condition. Because an excess amount of pressure is put on the MTP joint, and because the second metatarsal is the longest in the foot, conventional footwear can cause significant pain and inflammation in this joint capsule.
All of the shoes we offer on our site allow the foot to act like a barefoot inside of the shoe. Along with wearing Correct Toes toe spacers, we’ve found that switching to more foot-healthy footwear is an important step in restoring proper balance and alignment within the foot. You can find a link to our men’s footwear options here:
www.naturalfootgear.com/collections/mens-shoes
And here’s a link to our Correct Toes offerings:
www.naturalfootgear.com/collections/correct-toes
I’ve also included a couple of links below to articles that pertain directly to capsulitis:
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/education/17860972-capsulitis
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/education/17853268-ball-of-foot-pain-conventional-vs-natural-approaches
I hope this information helps. If you or your husband have any questions moving forward, please do let us know!
Kind Regards,
Andrew Potter
Thanks for all the great foot information! I’ve always questioned having toes squished together, but all I’ve ever heard about my foot issues was “it’s genetic.” Thanks for educating us and thus empowering us to fix our own feet! I have a lot less pain now, but my feet are still pretty rigid. I’ve been stretching my toe flexors for a while now, but I still can’t even see the knuckles when my toes are bent. I wear shoes with wide toe boxes and Correct Toes. I was wondering if a dancer’s stretch tool might help me? Or is that too extreme? Thank you!
Hi, Mary,
Thank you for your comment. That dancer’s stretch tool you mentioned does indeed look pretty extreme (kind of like a medieval torture device!). I’m not sure that it would be appropriate for most sets of feet (especially those with chronically tight toe extensors). I think you’ll be able to achieve a lot simply by continuing on with the basic toe extensor stretch you’ve already been doing.
Please do report back to us with any updates about foot health gains you’ve achieved using natural approaches, including the Toe Extensor Stretch!
Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC
I’m suffering from a bit of a weird injury. It seems to be the exact opposite of this. My pain is ONLY with my right big toe, and only for about 1" past the ball of my foot (only where my big toe is). It does NOT go through my whole arch. That toe is also super tight. Always has been. The discomfort is about a 3/10. When I stretch my foot like your video, I feel 100% fine. No discomfort/cramping whatsoever. But it does hurt more when I stretch my toes in the exact opposite direction. I know you’d need to look at my foot to know exactly what might be going on, but do you have any rough idea? Or tests for it that I can do?
Hi, Jeremy,
I’m sorry to hear about the foot discomfort you’re experiencing. You’re correct that I’d need to be able to examine you in person to get a better sense of what might be going on here, and so I can’t really speculate on the underlying cause(s) without that level of familiarity. My best recommendation, then, would be to find a naturally-minded foot care provider in your area (if one exists) who can perform a physical examination on your foot and guide your care. You might consider using this list of questions to find a foot care provider that will use more natural treatment approaches:
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/popular-q-a/what-questions-should-i-be-asking-a-prospective-foot-care-provider
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help!
Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC
Hi! Thank you for your videos! You do say to hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds, but how many times daily should I perform the Toe Extensor Stretch and Hammertoe Stretch and Mobilization exercise? Please advise.
Hi, Vickie. Thank you for your question about the frequency with which to perform the Toe Extensor Stretch and the Hammertoe Stretch and Mobilization. In our experience, we’ve found these simple and profound exercises can (ultimately) be performed at least several times per day, especially once you gain some familiarity with them and can do them without feeling any cramping or discomfort. As is noted in the Hammertoe Stretch and Mobilization video, cramping is usually caused by weak and confused muscles that are learning to be stronger. If you experience cramping with either of these stretches, release the stretch and gradually build up the exercise frequency, to tolerance.
We hope this info helps! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with further questions should they come up.
Yours in Foot Health,
Drs. Marty & Robyn Hughes