When the opportunity came up on Fuel My Blog to try out some toe stretchers, I immediately thought of my eldest daughter Sophie. They may sound like some medieval torture implement akin to thumbscrews or the rack, but I thought they could help her out because she had a lot of trouble with her feet last year. After several months in pain so bad it reduced her to tears on several occasions, we went to see a chiropodist who left me speechless by pushing on a specific area just below her big toe and instantly stopping the pain. She now has a special pair of insoles that are made to order to fit the shape of her foot (it was apprently a nerve being compressed and her toes needed to be slightly lifted and separated to ease the pain).
The toe stretchers are flexible, rubbery strips filled with gel with gaps for putting your toes in. I thought the slots looked rather widely spaced but gave them to Sophie, who managed to put them on with no problem at all. If you find them hard to put on, you can moisten them or put them on in the bath or shower
Sophie said that she could feel them stretching the muscles around her toes but that it wasn't at all painful. If it does hurt a bit the first few times, you shouldn't worry though, according to the Toe Stretchers website. They say : "Original Toe Stretchers are the best way to stretch the muscles of your feet. They are going to hurt the first time you try them. That is because your feet muscles will never have had a stretch like it before. After using them for a month you will wonder how you ever coped without them." Maybe Sophie's feet have already been getting a mini-workout from her orthopedic insoles which is why she didn't feel any pain ?
Sophie decided to put her feet up while trying them out, but you can also relax in the bath with them on and, with a bit of practice, walk around while wearing them.
According to the manufacturers, using Toe Stretchers offers a whole host of benefits, including increased balance and co-ordination, “sure-footedness”, improving posture and "bounce". If you have problems with your feet, they can also help correct bone/tissue/cartilage misalignments and help treat sciatica, bunions, varicose veins, hammer toe, Achilles tendon problems, plantar fascia problems and all kinds of foot pain. I also noticed that they can help relieve deep vein thrombosis, so it may be a wise move to invest in some if you are embarking on a long haul flight or spending time in a hospital bed.
Sophie's quite happy to use them - in fact, she's set herself the challenge of being able to walk in them ! - and I'm hoping that they may result in us not having to fork out for expensive orthopedic insoles for her every six months !
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £39.95 but currently £14.95
***Use code TOTU to get 10% off a pair of toe stretchers***
for more information : http://www.jdharris.co.uk/toe-stretchers
Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.
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I've never considered the idea of toe stretchers but they look like they might be good for you regardless of feet problems or not.
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