Apparently, toe stretchers are all the rage when it comes to pampering your feet. Yoga Toes and Smart Toes are two of the many companies that have made these stretchers a fad.  What they do is they stretch out your toes that have been compressed within shoes all day. If you stand with your foot flat on the floor and stretch out your toes as far as they can go, you are doing what a toe stretcher can do. However, those who use  toe stretchers, like wearing them when relaxing. Passively stretching your toes like this can relieve stress and provide some foot pain relief.

According to the yoga toes website, the product can help improve and prevent more serious problems like hammer toes and bunions. FALSE! Dr.Molan of Carmel Foot Specialists in Charlotte NC, explains that as soon as you take the toe stretcher off, your foot bones will contract to their normal position. For hammer toes, which is a buckling of any of the toe joints, your toes need to be splinted when walking. More severe hammer toes, surgery to correct the deformity can be necessary. As for bunions, which is a toe joint that has moved out of a normal position, surgery is most always necessary.