Community discussion

New to the group, I have very bad bunions and hammer toes both feet (hereditary).

Archive date 12 archived replies

New to the group, I have very bad bunions and hammer toes both feet (hereditary). Thankfully no pain. Do any of the braces I see on FB work for some moderate correction? Just ordered on Amazon, but I’m doubtful. Appreciate any insight.

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Community replies

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Community comment#1

The braces don’t work, they are a waste of money

Community comment#2

My doc told me insoles are the only thing that make a difference in terms of (hopefully) slowing the progression. Not sure about custom vs not, though I did get custom ones. That and wearing shoes that fit properly and have a rounded toe and don’t press on your bunions.

Community comment#3

If you’re not trying to go to the surgery route, I would try to find some toe spacers and start wearing them starting slow and increasing how long you wear them a day,  wide toe box shoes, and start doing physical therapy exercises for bunions and hammertoe

Community comment#4

Bad foot! But no pain and good toe splay.

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Community comment#5

No. Don’t bother, ordered one, lousy quality & will not stabilize your feet. See a well qualified Surgical podiatrist. I may have bad bunions, plantar plate tear & fat pat atrophy on the L foot. Currently, wearing a proper orthopedic boot & on the right foot an even up leveler. These were supplied by my surgical podiatrist.

Community comment#6

Definitely try toe spacers. I wear mine 24/7. I also use kinsei tape and orthotics as mine were caused by flat feet - also hereditary. My right foot big toe joint is dislocated and I have a hammer toe. However, after using the separators etc for the past 2 years, my left foot has not progressed. I also wear Topo trainers and go barefoot at home. Here's my good foot

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Community comment#7

Nothing helps bone except surgery unfortunately… you can use toe spacers to ease the pain though.

Community comment#8

Curious the hammer toes .. is that also When you point your toes and they curl Down .. how old Are you this just happened to me suddenly

Anonymous member 566 I got my first pair of custom (expensive!) insoles in 2012 and wore custom insoles for years. Finding out about Altra running shoes and Topo running shoes from this group in 2024 has been even better for my feet. I was wearing my insoles to help with over pronation so when I went to the Altra and Topo websites I typed in “stability” which is the keyword for running shoes that are designed for overpronation. Whatever your needs, whether you need neutral or stability, I recommend trying these brands if you haven’t already. The shoes are cheaper than custom insoles and I don’t need custom insoles when wearing Topo or Altra, the foot shaped shoe with the toe box for toe splay makes a difference 🙂

yes, this! And for the original poster, also get shoes that have enough toe box space for toe splay. Altra running shoes and Topo running shoes are foot shaped shoes that have that toe splay space. There is foot health information on the Instagram accounts for Gaithappens and thefootcollective. (They probably have YouTube and websites too?) Both accounts are run by experts.

If it’s happened to you suddenly, what shoes have you been wearing recently? Most of us are born with feet shaped like pizza slices, similarly shaped footwear is better 🍕🍕

Wide Toe Box Shoes vs Wide Shoes - What's The Difference?
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