Benefits of Toe Spreaders | Improve Running, Plantar Fasciitis, Knee Pain, Tight Calves, Bunions

Kick The Shoes Off

What are toe spreaders and how can they help you? Healthy, natural feet are strong and resilient. Wearing certain shoes constrains our feet and toes basically like wearing a cast. Tight shoes takes our tremendous capabilities and severely limits them. Imagine having to wear mittens all the time. Even worse, tight mittens that don't allow us to spread our fingers. Even the most basic tasks would become extremely difficult. Our hands would become much less useful. Now obviously you are not cooking dinner or scrolling on your phone with your feet...but you can see how having full capabilities of your hands limited would not be optimal. Our arms would become weaker and our wrists and elbows wouldn't function the same way...

Benefits of Going Barefoot

Our feet work in the exact same way as our hands. They bend foreword and back (flexion and extension) and they rotate in and out (supination and pronation). We have the same amount of toe bones and we do finger bones. Almost the same number of bones in whole hand (27) and whole foot (26). And there are over 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons in each. So why do we place so much emphasis on our hands and not our feet?

Studies have shown that going barefoot more often can improve balance and motor skills while decreasing pain and injury associated with the feet, ankles, and knees. When muscles are worked properly they become stronger. Think of it like this. Doing pull ups will strengthen your back and arms. Going barefoot more often will strengthen your feet, ankles, and knees. Honestly, it can help hips and back pain as well. Everything sits on top of our feet. Everything is downstream. If the foundation of a house is weak...that's bad news for everything on top.

So, you're probably thinking, "Johnny, I just can't go barefoot everywhere. Society has rules". I get that. It might seem a little odd to walk into the bank without shoes on. Or work. Unless you live on a hippie commune, wearing shoes is pretty much a must. The trick is to maximize the time you can spend barefoot. Walking around in the grass is a great start. Or doing certain exercises and stretches while the shoes are off. You can give yourself a massage with a foam roller, massage gun, or massage ball too. But to MAXIMIZE your strengthening potential you can incorporate wearing toes spreaders while you have some barefoot time!

Use Your Barefoot Time Effectively

Wearing toe spreaders can help restore your body's natural capacity of the feet. They free up the toes allowing all the muscles and ligaments to function properly. To maximize your barefoot time while wearing toe spacers you can do all the things listed above. Walk around, do exercises and stretches, or give your self a massage. Wearing the toe spreaders while doing these activities can dramatically change the way our feet function in just 5-20 minutes a day!

Help Fix foot, Ankle, and Knee Pain

Restoring our natural capabilities of the feet can help you in many different ways. Toe spreaders are great for helping soothe sore feet from running or standing all day. They can help to reduce ankle and knee pain by building a stronger foundation of the body. There are many muscles in the feet that pass through the ankle and run up into the shin. Many times knee pain associated with running and working out can be caused by improper foot mechanics.

Help Fix Bunions and Plantar faciaiitis

Toe spreaders are perfect for fixing bunions as well. Also known as hammer toe, when the big toe is severely angled in towards the toes, usually comes from wearing shoes with a very narrow toe box. Most dress shoes, high heels, and a lot of running shoes have a toe box area that is way too narrow. This design from shoe companies is focused much more of fashion rather than comfort. If you look at anyone who does not wear tight shoes regularly their feet will have a much more natural toe splay. Meaning, their toes are not cramped together. Look at babies and infants. Their feet haven't been binded and casted yet by shoes. They have natural splayed toes perfect for running around barefoot. Also, many tribes still living in remote areas of the world have the same type of feet. Some people from these tribes have NEVER worn shoes and their toes are very mobile and resilient. Just more proof that tight shoes literally mold and change the way our feet move and react to the world!

Toe spreaders can help fix plantar fasciitis as well. Fascia is this sheet of connective tissue that surrounds our muscles. It lies between the skin and muscles. When fascia becomes too tight it can lead to many problems. Plantar fasciitis is when the fascia on the bottom of the feet becomes irritated from excess inflammation. To reduce pain from plantar fasciitis we must address the root of the issue. Massaging your feet is a good start. Wearing toe spacers while massaging your feet is even better. Toe spacers will help open up the fascia of the feet allowing us to reduce inflammation and tight, stiff muscles and tendons.

Start With 5-10 Minutes a Day

You don't have to spend all day barefoot to reap the benefits of barefoot training. Using the toe spreaders with the time you have can improve results! Try using them for 5 minutes while walking around in the grass. Then progress to using them while doing yoga or certain stretches and exercises. I like to wear them while working out while at home. Another great combination is wearing toe spacers while using a compression floss band, massage gun, or foam roller.

Just remember anything is better than nothing. Start with using toe spreaders for 5 minutes a day and gradually work your way up. Yourself 1 year from now will thank your current self for all the work you did!

Keep Seeking Strength!