Spread those toes! (Boots Toe Spreader)

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Boots Toe Spreader
Date:	06/07/09 (150 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, provides excellent relief, comfortable to wear, lasts well

Disadvantages: Unfortunately they don't sit so well when wearing sandals

A number of years ago I broke the big toe on my right foot, I was living in North Africa at the time and the grand sum of medical help I received was a rather soft splint in an attempt to realign the bone. It worked in the short term but as time has gone by I find my big toe is slowly turning to overlap the next toe, while this doesn't cause me a lot of pain I do find it rather uncomfortable at times especially in this warmer weather as my skin is beginning to chafe.

Luckily a few months ago my daughter bought me the Boots Toe Spreader (from Boots, just in case you were thinking it was a toe spreader to be used only whilst wearing boots!) and it has honestly been a god send for me.

The concept is a very simple one. The Toe Spreader is simply a small piece of solid gel which you slot between your big toe and the next one along, this naturally forces the big toe into the correct position and makes walking (and even just wearing shoes) more comfortable if you have an overlapping toe like me or if you suffer with bunions.

The Toe Spreader is very comfortable to wear, when I have put it into place I can feel it for a while but then when I am up and about I forget all about it. It sits nicely in the gap between my toes and is shaped to stay there without moving around too much, luckily it is exactly the correct size for my toes and barely moves at all - which is great as I don't think I could cope with the feeling of it sliding around in my shoes all day.

The outside edge of the Toe Spreader has an almost dusty feel to it, which is apparently a mineral oil which has been added to help moisturise the skin and provide a little extra comfort. I can't say that the skin between these two toes is any more moisturised than any other part of my body (hmmm) so the reason for the addition of this oil is a little beyond me, although perhaps it is this which stops the Toe Spreader itself becoming irritating as those awful foam things you use to separate your toes for a pedicure are.

Please be aware that this Toe Spreader is not a cure, it simply relieves the pain and discomfort of a bunion or overlapping toe. For this reason I would absolutely suggest you visit your GP should you have either of these conditions to see what they can do for you as a more long term solution, unfortunately my health prevents me having the operation I need to correct my overlapping toe so this is something I have to live with - hence my love of this Toe Spreader as I believe my mobility would be severely affected without it.

For me it works well, very well indeed. The only problem I have encountered really was when I wore a pair of sandals last week, then I found the Toe Spreader looked a little unsightly and anyway it didn't stay in the correct position as well as it does when I wear shoes that cover the top of my foot. I find the chaffing I was beginning to experience has disappeared and my big toe feels much more comfortable now it's aligned correctly to the rest of my toes.

Because this is made from a non-porous gel, the sweatiness of feet don't affect it in a whiffy way but it will become grubby over time. Then I find a quick rinse in warm soapy water will bring it back to looking as good as new, remembering to leave it to air dry as it can become rather wrinkled in appearance if you try to dry it too quickly on top of the fire. I have had my Toe Spreader for around four months now and it's still in decent condition, it's starting to lose its shape a little now though so I think I shall pop along to Boots at some point this week to buy another one.

Each Toe Spreader costs £3.99, which I think is an absolute bargain for the relief it provides. There is nothing worse than pains in your toes and feet so this is definitely money well spent if you are suffering.

Summary: An excellent, but so simple, product to help those with overlapping toes and/or bunions.