Reddit mentions: The best toe separators

I am not a doctor and recommend you to go see a specialist, but this is my experience with Morton’s Neuroma and different treatment forms. I've been dealing with MN in both feet for about two years and it has made running more than 1-2 miles impossible for most of that time. Back running 10+ miles now with no pain/ minimal numbness for about 4 months. Here is what I did and how it worked (or did not) for me:

Treatment:

• Check your shoes! (And I can’t stress this point enough) Make sure that they are wide enough and if possible a soft fabric. I started wearing extra wide sneakers (and I do not have wide feet at all) as often as possible and only go for dress shoes if I have meetings with clients/ the boss. If you are a girl, stay away from heels (also if you are a guy). This is probably the most important thing!
  
  
• Toe spacers (I got these. This is completely anecdotal, but it was a complete game changer for me! I usually tape 3 of them together to the outer side of my third toe so it stops the Neuroma from being compressed. I wear them all day and also at night as I sleep on the side which puts pressure on the side of my feet. I give this and changing my shoes 90% of the credit for being able to run again. I highly recommend trying this for a week. Nothing to lose!
  
  
• Custom orthotics (if you have awesome insurance or a lot of money) / a metatarsal pad. The orthotics helped some, but were not a game changer for me.
  
  
• I am not a fan of cortisone shots. Didn’t help me at all. I heard some good things about ethanol shots, but it’s still only alleviating symptoms, not addressing any underlying issue.
  
  
• Last resort (which I didn’t have to do) is getting the Neuroma surgically removed. Most things I heard from people who did the surgery were positive, although constant numbness between the affected toes is apparently common (IMO a small price to pay).
  
  Specifically running related:
  
  
• Shoes with a wide toe box are essential.
  
  
• I changed from forefoot running to mid-foot running to put less pressure on my forefoot. Did a lot of stretching for my calves and hammies to make this a natural transition.
  
  
• Minimalist/ barefoot shoes are a No-Go for me. I need some padding for my forefoot.
  
  
• I try to go for no/ very little heel drop. Again to not put more weight on my forefoot.
  
  Well, this turned out quite long. Good luck and I hope you get better soon! Let us know how it works out.
  

If you have a midfoot-strike (pretty common with post-tib issues), I'm guessing you late-stage overpronate. So not really as much of an arch issue as that of someone who heel-strikes.

You can do a couple things. First, strengthen your Posterior Tibialis. Something that's also worked for me is Toe Stretchers. Basically what that does is it forces your big toe into a more natural position, which stabilizes the front of your foot when you midfoot strike. This stops late-stage overpronation if you use them consistently. You can get something called Correct Toes, that you can wear while you run, but honestly I think they're a huge ripoff ($65).

Another alternative to stretching your toes is using Vibrams or doing some training barefoot to strengthen the muscles in your feet.

You can fix the issue with a shoe. Newton makes a lot of great shoes that protect against late-stage pronation with their stability line. Also, the Brooks Ravenna is a great shoe that, to my knowledge, uses a wedge-type system in the forefoot to prevent rotation at toe-off.

Hope that helped!

Looks good, nice colors!

Couple of tips, if you don'd mind: Try using a q-tip or something similar dipped in nail polish remover to clean up bits that make it off the edge of the nail. Plus, since it looks like your little toe curls under like mine does, toe separators (e.g., https://www.amazon.com/Separators-Flexible-Silicone-Spacers-Pedicure/dp/B0787M8X3X/ (just an arbitrary one on Amazon, no idea if that particular one is good, you should be able to find them at local stores) ) can help keep down smudging while they dry.

They have a ton of similar, much cheaper, options on Amazon if you’d like to try. Here’s one:
Gel Toe Separator Toe Yoga Toes Spacers Toe Stretchers Correct Toes for Men and Women Toe Bunion Relief Toe Straightener for Yoga (1 pair) (clear, 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071CKJY5F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TdrdAb48ENWKM

I’m sure this is an issue lots of people deal with, so you can probably find the reviews on these helpful.

Thanks. I like YOUR idea of 3D printing a pen rack for inside the case. Very cool idea!

However... I just thought of something that would save you time, money and give you a similar result....

Grab yourself a pair of foam toe separators. The kind used for pedicures . Trim two to size.. and crazy glue/hot glue in place..... One on the left side to hold the cap end and one on the right side to hold the barrel. You may be able to get three pens in your former eyeglass case.

(https://www.amazon.com/Toe-Separators-Soft-Tone-Jaylie/dp/B008E0DBYA/ref=sr_1_7_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1487015666&sr=8-7&keywords=foam+toe+separators).

Thanks. Since, like you, a bunion is what I'm particularly concerned about, I think I'm going to start with this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L1VVDF8/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_3p_dp_1 and all wider shoes.

I do have this
ww.amazon.com/Yasco-Bunion-Toe-Straightener-Pair/dp/B000O5FCI6/ref=sr_1_9?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1412628861&sr=1-9&keywords=bunion which I seriously love.

I’d highly recommend seeing an acupuncturist and trying Toe Spacers. I’ve had issues off and on with Morton’s and both have helped a ton. The silicone toe spacers took the pressure off at night (or while running) allowing for healing and the acupuncture seemed to jumpstart the healing. I wore the toe spacers on my middle toe at night and on long runs. Good luck!

https://www.amazon.com/Separators-Straighteners-Wellness-Naturally-Corrector/dp/B07RL6LPLL/ref=zg_bs_11063691_12?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=HSYY4V7KVBVXW1SR7EAY

Or save yourself ~ $63 by buying something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Toe-Separator-Pedicure-Pack-Salon/dp/B003AXZ0S6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370028009&sr=8-2&keywords=pedicure+toe+separators

I used gel toe spacers that I purchased at a local pharmacy. They stayed in place since I need to wear shoes/socks for work any way. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015TGN60

I used them for a few years, but I don't need them anymore, as I strengthened my foot muscles to separate my toes.

I have a bunion on one side and I wear a gel toe spacer that wraps around my big toe to stay in place, like this. I also wear toe socks while running to make sure tight socks don't limit the movement of my toes. I will occasionally wear a bunion sleeve after a run to hold my toe in a good spot to reduce pain. I find if I do a lot of prevention of pain, like wearing toe spacers all day for a month, I can reduce or eliminate issues for months. My bunion is genetic and most of the women in my family get surgery at some point but I find I can manage it very well this way.

I had bunions and had them surgically repaired, but I still wear the spacers out of paranoia/comfort. I like these.

Update:

After my 2 cortisone shots, I got a second opinion and the guy just shrugged and said "if you want to get surgery, go for it, nothing else can be done if the first two shots didn't help. You can try wider shoes too" so I tried a crapton of shoes and got new soccer shoes and new running shoes and new walking shoes. I abused the Amazon free to return thing and ended up trying and returning like 15 pairs, but it ended up with the 3 I needed. I also got amazon silicone toe spacers and I think that those 2 things caused my symptoms to go away enough to not require surgery. I'm not in pain, it's just an odd tweaking feeling, but its less and less now, due to shoes and the silicone spacers. I wear the spacers every day and notice the difference if I don't. Here are the two types I bought:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K41PQL8/ref=mp_s_a_1_15_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1468635919&sr=8-15&keywords=silicone+toe+separators&pi=SY200_QL40 (my fave)

And: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B018CDSMGU/ref=mp_s_a_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1468635957&sr=8-17&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=silicone+toe+separators&dpPl=1&dpID=31i0ErIQ-fL&ref=plSrch
I cut these down a little because there's a lot of unnecessary material at the bottom.

Well, the tips I have are mostly for recovery (though it seems u/Benriach has already gone through the procedure herself, so she knows what to expect). In terms of what to do about it non-surgically, I'm useless. In my experience, those of us with bony feet are more sensitive than people with (for lack of a better word) pudgy feet. We have no cushioning! Mine are a result of having very flat feet, and there isn't much to be done about that.

I did buy these recently and they do seem to do a nice job of spreading out my normally cramped toes, but I have small feet and some of them feel a bit too big.

If you were still after the link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010WC3ANO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_wDlFDbDB8FZCZ

I'm confused, are we talking about these? And aren't they available at mostly places that sell polish?

I had this exact problem and it didn't matter how much I ran or how big my callouses got, any run over 50 mins would give me some bad blisters. I ended up buying these Injinji socks which did wonders for the rubbing but still didn't help for the 15+ km runs. So I got a pack of these gel toe separators and I haven't had a blister since, I just tape the gel separator between my two toes on the outside of the socks.