Correct Toes vs. Other Toe Spacers

Correct Toes is a toe spacing device that is beloved by many for its ability to address a wide... Read more
Correct Toes is an amazing toe spacing product that helps restore normal foot and toe anatomy and function and helps prevent some of the most common toe, foot, and leg problems, including bunions, hammertoes, ingrown toenails, plantar fasciosis, shin splints, runner’s knee, and neuromas.
Correct Toes toe spacers are made of medical-grade silicone, which makes them flexible, durable, and comfortable. These toe spacers were invented by renowned sports podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan to help place your toes in the correct anatomical position relative to the ground and to one another. Correct Toes helps you mimic the natural barefoot position that’s commonly seen in people who have gone barefoot most of their lives.
Correct Toes slots in between your toes to realign your toes with their corresponding metatarsal bones, or the long bones just behind your toes. This toe position is what nature intended for us and can be seen in a newborn’s foot. Our feet are supposed to be widest at the ends of the toes, not at the ball of the foot like most of us who’ve worn conventional footwear with tapering or pointy toe boxes for most of our lives. Correct Toes helps restore the normal position of your toes, which has an incredible number of health benefits, including increased balance, improved blood flow to foot tissues, and the prevention and correction of a whole host of foot problems.
Check out our article entitled Top 10 Benefits of Correct Toes Toe Spacers to learn more about this helpful toe spacing device.
The feet of unshod individuals are widest at the ends of the toes, and that same foot shape is seen in both children and adults in unshod populations. The incidence of foot problems in barefoot or minimally-shod populations is somewhere around 3%, whereas the incidence of foot problems in our society is somewhere between 70 and 80% (and the problems the unshod experience are mostly of a traumatic nature, such as dropping something on an uncovered foot).
So with the proper care and attention, it’s possible to preserve this healthy foot shape through childhood into adulthood and even into old age. Most people are born with perfect feet, and using Correct Toes can help you restore your natural foot form and function that’s been lost after years of conventional shoe wearing. Correct Toes acts to restore normal toe position over time; it’s important to understand that most toe deformities are caused by conventional footwear and occur over a long period, and that restoring normal toe alignment takes time too. A lot of people who wear Correct Toes experience health benefits (including pain relief) within the first few days of wearing the device, but lasting changes in foot and toe anatomy may take months or years to appear. I can say from personal experience that it’s a journey well worth taking.
You can use the Shoe Liner Test to determine whether you can wear your Correct Toes inside a pair of shoes by pulling the liner out of your shoes and standing on it. If any part of your toes hang over the edge of your liner, then your shoe’s toe box is too small to accommodate Correct Toes and natural toe splay (unless, of course, the shoe's upper is extremely expansile). Trying to force your toes into a pair of narrow toe box shoes while wearing Correct Toes is counterproductive and may cause discomfort and other foot problems.
You can wear your Correct Toes on your bare feet, over a pair of Injinji toe socks, or within a pair of shoes that is widest at the ends of your toes. You can also wear your Correct Toes toe spacers inside a conventional sock, which can help keep them in place. Unlike other toe spacers, Correct Toes is actually designed to be worn in wide toe box shoes during weight-bearing activity such as running, walking, hiking, and standing. In fact, the more time you spend in Correct Toes in a weight-bearing situation, the greater corrective effect the toe spacers will have on your toe position. Please see this page for more Correct Toes benefits.
The absolute best combination of products for synergistic foot health benefits is Correct Toes, Injinji toe socks, Pedag metatarsal pads or Strutz Pro, and any one of the men's and women's footwear options we offer on the Natural Footgear site. All the shoes we carry on our site are completely flat from heel to toe, possess a flexible sole, and have a toe box sufficiently wide to accommodate Correct Toes and natural toe splay—the features that we’ve found, in our experience, to best support foot health. We base our product selection on the experiences we've had with our patients, customers, and our own selves, along with the clinical experience of other healthcare providers who specialize in natural foot care. We really do take a lot of pride in offering our customers only the footgear that offers the possibility of profound and lasting foot health benefits.
Correct Toes currently comes in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. In our experience, most women and many men find the Medium size most beneficial, though this isn’t universally true. Some people may need to start out in the Medium but later graduate to the Large as foot adaptations occur. In most cases, we find that the Large Correct Toes work best for people who wear a men's US size 10 shoe or higher and that the Small Correct Toes work best for children or individuals with very petite feet (i.e., women's US size 7 and under).
Of course, if you’re on the fence about what size might be best for you, you can always order both sizes and then return the one that does not fit as well for a refund. If you have any questions about sizing, please do feel free to contact us at info@naturalfootgear.com.
When used appropriately, Correct Toes offers many people a method of permanently fixing numerous foot and toe problems, without having to resort to custom orthotics (which can be hundreds of dollars) or surgery (which can be thousands of dollars). Correct Toes is an incredible product that can help get you back on the path to lasting foot health.
Disclosure:
We ourselves sell Correct Toes toe spacers on this website. Even though we receive compensation when you purchase Correct Toes and other products from us, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on or about all footgear that appears on our site or in our online store. See our Ethics Policy for more details.$65.00
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Correct Toes is a toe spacing device that is beloved by many for its ability to address a wide... Read more
Correct Toes, a toe spacing device made of flexible and durable medical-grade silicone, is a small but mighty ally... Read more
I’m a fan! I researched Correct Toes prior to buying and everything made perfect sense. I’m a 50-year-old male that has always been very athletic (active runner, hockey, basketball, weight training, hiking, hunting, etc.). I’m blessed and haven’t been significantly prone to injury or illness. My Massage Therapist started me on the path of foot health and there was no turning back!
I’d been having pain in the fourth toe on my left foot. I’d also developed a “clunking” hip. First, I started with FiveFinger shoes and Yoga Toes. The problem is that Yoga Toes are short term and the muscle memory of years wasn’t corrected. Correct Toes fixed that! Since I was already stretching my toes and didn’t have ailments like bunions or hammertoes, I could start wearing the Correct Toes 24/7 right away without a period of getting used to spreading my toes. I experienced an accelerated effect and my feet spread quickly.
Improved balance, less foot fatigue, and improved posture, all as a result of Correct Toes. My hips and legs are strengthening, that’s obvious also! My foot pain is significantly reduced but not gone yet. However, between stretching my toes and maintaining proper toe alignment, I’m seeing wonderful results.
Now my dilemma is replacing my shoe collection! I’ve already tossed my most comfortable, broken down running shoes (you know the kind of beat up shoes that aren’t used for running anymore and are repaired with duct tape—mine were yard shoes) because my toes didn’t fit properly. Luckily my work shoes have a wide enough toe box to accommodate Correct Toes.
Thank you for your wonderful product!
Hi, Erik,
Wow! Thank you for your excellent testimonial! We love getting feedback from folks about their journey toward optimal foot health. We wish you much continued success.
For choosing the best shoes to fit your feet, you can find some great options on our site. The Primal 2 (www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/lems-primal-2-shoes) is a popular model and easily accommodates Correct Toes. The Primal 2 is soft, flexible, flat, and versatile.
If you want more of an athletic shoe, I would suggest either the Altra Superior 2.0 (www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/altra-shoes) or the Topo Sante (http://naturalfootgear.com/pages/topo-shoes). We also have some sandals (http://naturalfootgear.com/collections/mens-sandals) that you may love!
Again, thank you for the positive feedback and please keep us updated on your progress.
Kind regards,
Laura Trentman
Thank you, Natural Footgear Team, for offering such a comprehensive guide to foot health and a permanent solution to foot ailments! Since childhood, I’ve always found great joy in an active lifestyle. However, over the years of participating in various activities, most notably distance running and hiking, I’ve experienced foot pain. The ailments ranged from Achilles tendonosis, bursitis, and shin splints in my teenage years to bunions and plantar fasciosis in my middle age years.
I’ve been to various podiatrists who have prescribed rest and orthotics, and these treatments only temporarily relieved the pain. Each time I eased back into training and steadily increased my mileage, the plantar fasciosis would unfailingly return. Additionally, the pain from bunions was ongoing. I was sadly beginning to think that I’d never run another marathon again. My husband has truly earned his keep because he introduced me to the Natural Footgear website, and I happily soaked up the wealth of information through the written content and videos. I now am a firm believer in the benefits of Correct Toes, Strutz foot pads, and Injinji toe socks.
I figured if I was going to do this, I better do it right, so the investment in a pair of Lems Primal 2 shoes for everyday wear and Altra running shoes has been worth every penny. My plantar fasciosis pain actually decreased and eventually disappeared WHILE I continued physical activity including running! I was finally allowing my feet to operate the way nature always intended. In addition, the bunion pain is gone, and I can see a physical improvement to my once gnarly feet. I know the process is steady and ongoing, but I’m extremely grateful for the Natural Footgear solution. I’ve been thrilled to share your site with several running buddies who are also well on their way to running happy and pain-free again.
Wow, Kelly! What a terrific message. We are so thrilled to hear about your progress, and we wish you continued success on your journey toward optimal foot health. Thank you for sharing our site with your friends in need; we are happy to be of service to them and you however we can. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you ever have any questions about the footgear or the approach.
Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC