Treatments for Bent, Crooked Toes
If you want your toes to be straight and strong, your shoes should be widest at the toe area. If your shoes are squeezing your toes together, pick less pointy shoes to fix your foundation. Early intervention can improve foot health and possibly even reverse damage and restore feet to their original shape. Remember to always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program to determine if it is right for you.
Just as it can take years for bent, crooked toes to develop, it will take time to reverse the damage. Reversal of moderate issues of malformed toes may take 1–8 years, depending on your approach. If you wait until your problems are more severe, then it will likely take longer to recover. Extreme cases may even require surgery.
Please remember that while we did take the tips below are from articles written by medical professionals, at the end of the day, we’re shoemakers—not doctors. Our staff is not qualified to prescribe treatment or answer medical questions. We make no guarantees about results. You do any Any of these exercises or treatments at your own risk.
1. Seek Out Healthy Shoes
The first step on the road to recovery is to transition to shoes that allow toes to spread naturally [source]. For starters, look for shoes with wide toe boxes. In addition to having enough room for toes to spread, the ideal shoe will also be zero-drop. That means the heel is not thicker or higher than the front of the shoe. Also, shoes with toe springs (or toe areas that point upward) can also exacerbate issues with bent toes. Wear shoes that allow your toes to remain level with the rest of your foot while you are standing still.
For more info, check out our guide of features to look for in healthy shoes:
Healthy footwear that allows natural foot function may be an important step you can take to improve your foot health. Don’t rush! It is important to make this change gradually to prevent injury while your feet adjust to new shoes. After all, you will be using muscles and tendons in new ways, and likely stimulate weak muscles in your feet. You need to strengthen your feet slowly and carefully to avoid creating any additional damage. Think of it like when someone starts a running routine. If you run a marathon your first day instead of gradually building up strength, then you’re asking for an injury.
