Correct Toes: starting out and a mini review

[zizzy]

Hello all! I will be posting my experiences with Correct Toes here. I took the plunge and bought some from the awesome brick-and-mortar store Good for the Soles http://goodforthesoles.com/ in Northampton MA, where I also have some Stems on order (they should be arriving in October.) You can also purchase them from http://nwfootankle.com/home/toes. You'll note that they are NOT cheap- but I found the appeal irresistible. Hopefully my review will be helpful to others considering making this purchase.

I started wearing them regularly on September 4, 2011. I began wearing them at night mainly because at this point I am still wearing huaraches most of the time and I found it uncomfortable to put the string and the Correct Toes between my big and second toe. I find that if I wear them to bed, they seem to fall out (or be kicked out) at some point during the night. If I wear them with loose socks over them though, they stay on (I am what they call an "active sleeper.") They cause no discomfort when wearing them to sleep.

During the day, I have worn them around the house barefoot for an hour or two each day- they stay on fine this way. With shoes, I have found that I am able to wear them comfortable in my Soft Star Ramblers without socks. They are too big to wear in my Vivobarefoot Venus and Odette shoes. I look forward to trying them in the Stems. Since today (9/20/11) is rather cold and rainy where I am, I am wearing the Correct Toes in my Ramblers.

[JustinB]

Have you felt any pain or soreness from wearing them?  Now that is has been two weeks, have you noticed any differences?

[zizzy]

Here are "staring" pics of my observational study. I took these pics  on Monday 9/12/11 after wearing Correct Toes on and off for about a week, before I noticed any real difference. Hopefully there will be a difference as time passes. Here are my feet "before" which will serve as the official 'start' of this informal case study:

You'll notice that I have a very slight bunion on my right foot for my years of wearing regular shoes (including high heels.)

Here are my feet with the Correct Toes in place:


So far, no I have not noticed much of a difference and no, I have not felt any pain or discomfort. I plan to take pics once a week, probably on Sundays, with no guarantee of consistency- as I said, this is an informal study     I may do some measurements this evening for fun. 

[Stefanie]

Oh, Please do keep us updated!! This will probably make or break my decision to splurge on some...

[acc]

Apparently you need to wear them for 3-6months before "changes":

Patients usually report feeling different/better/slightly sore right away or within a few days.  To actually see physical changes (the angle of the hallux valgus improving, or hammertoes starting to straighten), may take 3-6 months

http://www.americaspodiatrist.com/2009/08/can-correct-toes-correct-your-feet/

My issue is: how are these better than Injinjis? Or any of the millions of "toe separators" in the market that can be had for a few dollars such as http://www.amazon.com/Gel-Toe-Separators-set-8/dp/B000SOLCTG/ref=sr_1_8?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1316542793&sr=1-8 or http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Toes-Toe-Stretchers-Sciatica/dp/B001AMO1FC/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1316543374&sr=1-1? (http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=11063691). Also http://www.footsmart.com/P-U-shaped-Gel-Toe-Spreaders-set-of-8-40109.aspx

Yeah, I'm skeptical (& the podiatry site I linked to up at the top of my post says he has no research) but it's because there's competing products that cost 1/10 the price and look to be the exact same thing. Maybe there's a slight difference, if you notice do tell (kind of like how Skeletoes looks similar to Vibrams ...but the material is so stiff and has heel-toe drop).

[JustinB]

I don't think toe socks are a comparable product.  Yes, socks separate the toes slightly, but they do not stretch, straighten, or reallign the toes.  When I wear my Injinji's I still have hammer toes and my big toes still point inward.  This product is basically a prostethic that pushes the toes straight and into correct positioning.  A more comparable product would be Yoga Toes or the toe separators women get for manicures.

[zizzy]

To answer some questions about Connect Toes:
The main difference between CT's and something like Yoga Toes is that CT's are designed to be worn in shoes, if one chooses to do so. I have some gel rubber toe spreaders that I bought at CVS for $7 and change (you can see the exact one's here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001M7SIFY/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000KPP5NC&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1WCTTJ7H00078NF0CEQ4.) By all appearances these Flex-tastic toe spreaders seem similar in size and function to Yoga Toes. To sum up the differences, the Flex-tastics are heavier and thicker than the Connect Toes and seem to spread the toes slightly further apart. The material seems to be a gel rubber and has a "stickier" feel (meaning its not actually sticky, but it clings to your skin more than the silicone of Connect Toes.) Here are some pictures comparing the profile of these less expensive toe spreaders and Conect Toe's:
feet with Connect Toes


feet with Flex-tastics


foot profile with Connect Toes


foot profile with Flex-tastics


Connect Toes (excuse the bits of wool fibers from my Soft Stars!)


Flex-tastics



So, as you can see, the Connect Toes are much, much thinner and have a lower profile. The Flex-tastics cannot be worn in shoes (I have tried) and it is not comfortable or even really possible to walk comfortable barefoot while wearing them. Connect Toes can be worn in shoes and are quite comfortable to walk normally with while barefoot.

I have also tried the thin disposable toe spreaders that women get after manicures, but I found that they too were nearly impossible to wear with shoes and tended to fold over or squish too much, defeating the purpose. They also stick up too much over the tops of the toes.

I tried wearing the Flex-tastics to bed but because of their size I found it difficult to wear socks over them, and without socks they got caught up in my sheets and wouldn't stay on. They are very noticeable. The best use for them is  to wear while lounging around, watching a movie or something- but you'll have to take them off to go get popcorn.

[mroberts1new]

Hey Zizzy, I don't know if your still doing your informal study or not, but I would love to see an update. Did they work for you? I did my own informal study of Correct Toes starting December of 2010. I wore them almost constantly for a little over a year, until January 2012. They worked for me. I also had a slight bunion on one of my feet and I had some knee pain to go with it. The bunion is gone and so is the knee pain. I'm not sure if the Correct Toes had anything to do with the knee pain disappearing, but it's gone and I didn't do anything else directly. If you want to see my results, I put up before and after photos here http://thefitmachine.com/recreating-a-natural-foot-a-review-of-correct-toes-toe-spacers/. I know it has been a few months since you last posted about your experiment, but I would love to find out what results others have had.