Crooked Toes
Umbrella term, including many toe abnormalities, including hammertoes, claw toe, mallet toe, adductoverus toe, and curly toe.

​Cause
Inappropriate footwear is the leading cause of crooked toes. Footwear with elevated heels, rigid soles, tapered toe boxes and toe-spring forces toes into unusual positions, encouraging muscle or tendon imbalances. Crooked toes may be associated with past foot trauma.

Signs and Symptoms
The most frequently experienced symptoms associated with crooked toes include:

• Toe pain, burning, or irritation when wearing shoes
• Skin thickening
• Inflammation and redness
• Toe contracture

Recovery
A podiatrist or other appropriate healthcare professional can provide strategies to help reduce the progression of your crooked toe problem. Physical therapy, toe joint manipulation, and stretching of the muscles and tendons surrounding toes may provide some reduction of the deformity. Common treatment strategies for this health problem include:

• Toe Extensor Stretch
• Metatarsal Pads
• Footwear that is flat, widest at the ends of the toes, and flexible
• Aligning toes with a toe-spacer like Correct Toes.

My crooked toes was one of the reasons I was first led to discover Correct Toes. The amazing results are what gives me faith in this product and the reason I started my online store. 

Watch this video for more information.

Bunion
Also known as Hallux Abducto Valgus, a bunion represents the inward movement of the big toe progressively dislocating off the end of the first metatarsal. The ‘bump’ of the bunion is not a growth of bone, but rather the exposed first metatarsal head, as the big toe points towards the 2nds toe.

​Cause
Bunions are first and foremost shoe induced; babies are not born with bunions. This deformation slowly and progressively forms as the individual wears footwear with a tapered toe box. A common misconception is that bunions are hereditary, and while the bunion itself is not genetic, there are certain soft tissue principles that can impact bunion development within family lines. For example, genetic factors control foot width, as well as soft tissue flexibility and integrity, leading conventionally shaped footwear to have a greater impact on individuals with wider feet.

Signs and Symptoms
Bunions are an often painful condition that can lead to instability of the 1st ray and the medial longitudinal arch. Some of the most frequently experienced signs and symptoms associated with bunions, besides pain, include:

• Redness and/or callus formation around the bunion
• Numbness
• Bursitis

​Recovery
Bunions often respond to conservative care measures and should always be treated by a qualified healthcare professional in a timely and appropriate manner. Conservative treatment for bunions usually involves the following:

• Aligning toes with a toe-spacer like Correct Toes
• Performing range of motion exercises and tissue releases like the Bunion Stretch
• Wearing shoes that are flat, flexible and widest at the ends of the toes.