To want to have my toes straightened?

[Maelstrop]

My toes look horrible. They’re very curved in due to wearing too-small shoes as a stupid teenager. I hate having bare feet. I know it’s a first world problem, but is there a guaranteed non-surgical option for me, given I’m now in my 40s?

Is there a procedure to do that? Honestly I would try not to worry and spend the money on a holiday. Feet are kind of gross no matter how straight the toes x

I've had it done.
It was agony, didn't work well, and has left permanent damage that the aesthetic benefits do not outweigh.
I would suggest counselling to work on why your self esteem is based on what you look like, and why it matters if body parts look weird.

Two of my children were born with talipes, which causes deformities to the feet, ankles and toes.

One of them had an external fixator frame (an Ilizarov frame) when he was ten to straighten his foot and toes.

It was bloody awful. Six months of trauma, pain and the constant worry of infection. He didn't have a single minute where he wasn't in pain. And I had to adjust his foot with spanners four times a day. It was a nightmare.

He's now got straight, pain-free feet but if you don't have to do it, it just isn't worth it.

My mother had very curved toes so was extra careful with our socks & shoes, I think I read recently it’s something unrelated to shoes & is in fact to do with your tendons. Do you have high arches?

If it's bunions due to your ill-fitting shoes earlier, then it's a very common operation. It will straighten up the big toe and remove the enlargement of the joint.

I had a joint fusion but my friend has had both feet done for bunion removal and it was much the same as my recovery - around six weeks with a dressing and crutches, and no driving. You may or may not have it pinned in place; my pin was quickly removed in one yank at my outpatient checkup.

Neither of us regret either of our operations. Though you do have to be sensible with your shoe choice to stop it recurring; because mine was a joint removal I can't wear heels (though my friend with the bunions can, just not every day all day) but I have an excellent wardrobe of Doc Martens for work wear.

I have a very curved big toe and often pull it straight to see what it would look like. I'd never go for surgery though as it's part of what makes me unique

I have bunions and my big toes curl in. So do my mother's, so much so that her big toe forced her middle toes to cross over. She had surgery to straighten the big toe, which required pinning, but also had a middle toe removed. This did bog all and as soon as the pin was removed her big toe worked its way sideways again so it's now horizontal to her foot.

Unless you're in pain I wouldn't do it, personally.

It’s curly toes caused by tight tendons not tight shoes. I’ve got the same www.gosh.nhs.uk/medical-information/congenital-curly-toes

I’ve got curvy toes. It’s never occurred to me that it was a recognised thing with a name. I wouldn’t want the pain of surgery though. I’ve managed with them like this for 47 years.

My DD has recently had this operation and I wouldn't recommend it. She had toes 2 and 3 done on both feet at same time. Plaster cast to knee on both legs. The pins coming out was horrendous and took 3 of us to hold her down. She's still in pain 6 months later and I wish I'd put her off getting it done. That was her 5th operation on her feet/legs and was definitely the worst one. The other 4 were major operations to break her bones etc so she's used to high levels of pain but the toes was something else!

I've sort of always wanted to get this done but it sounds dreadful I guess I wont bother

OP I just wear nice nail polish and assume most people think feet are so gross they don't look much

I have tendonal weirdness in both feet, causing bent toes and huge arches. It is theoretically possible to have surgery to straighten them, but the recovery period is 6 months, it hurts and apparently the scarring can be pretty nasty. And as one pp said, the success rate isn't brilliant.

There's a youtube vid called fix your own dang bunion that I'd try first

Have a look at orthotics first - non surgical, cheaper, might help

firstly, bunions aren’t caused by tight shoes/high heels. They’re hereditary, almost always in women and are due to weaknesses in the connective tissue between the first and second metatarsal bones which allows the first metatarsal to bow out. The big toe then curves in and can cross the second toe. If that happens then it can cause the other toes to ‘claw’ to compensate - because you can no longer use your big toe to stabilise. The problem with them is that they’re degenerative. However, most surgeons would say don’t do the surgical correction unless you’re actually in pain because the ‘break and shift’ methods aren’t very consistent in terms of results.

If you’re not in pain, orthotics or toe splints can slow the degeneration.

I have hypermobility syndrome and anvil toes - my sympathies as it can be painful at times.

Have you thought about trying Correct Toes ? They are straighteners you wear in your shoes which are meant to adjust the toe position. But as others have said, a lot of it is related to tendon and ligament tension. I now wear barefoot shoes and my toes are more flexible and much stronger.

If it's bunions then I would do it. I had mine done quite a few years ago and my feet are awesome now, pain free and straight toes. I don't regret it at all despite the very painful recovery.

Blimey - I had an operation when I was 3 for this, I had no idea it had an actual name! Still don't have very straight toes now.

If its clawing of your toes you can buy gel orthotics over the counter to straighten them. You’d have to wear them a lot and only occasionally be able to be bare foot. But if they’re rubbing that might help.

I wouldn’t recommend surgery as unless you’re having footwear problems then the pain of the surgery may not be worth the outcome. There aren’t pins or frames in the sense of what previous posters are saying, there may be a wire that goes through the toe which is removed in outpatients. It’s mainly about releasing the tendons that are overtightened and perhaps doing bone cuts to realign things. It can be very successful if people are having pain, but often those who wanted it for cosmetic reasons aren’t as happy.

Honestly nobody looks at your feet.

Have you ever zoomed in on celebs feet in heels? They're not pieces of art either.

Feet are feet. You're over thinking it!

My son had surgery to amputate a toe and the toe next to it was straightened with a pin. He was in plaster up to his groin for a month and the pin had to be removed. It was awful. My Dd will also need a very similar surgery and i’m dreading it. I would not do this for cosmetic reasons

I had foot surgery because a have arthritis in my big toe - minor op but very painful and didn’t work.
My only other option is to fuse the big toe joint - which terrifies me and I am not keen to do -glad previous poster had success.
I wouldn’t have any foot surgery unless I couldn’t walk.

My mother had very curved toes so was extra careful with our socks & shoes, I think I read recently it’s something unrelated to shoes & is in fact to do with your tendons. Do you have high arches?

Yes, very high, had to put in an orthotic recently to correct pain from not supporting the arch plus a possibly part ruptured Achilles. Both parents have snapped theirs so I’m worried mine might go at some point.

The stories are scaring me. I stupidly thought it would be a question of strapping/blocking the curved ones, but I’m not going to look at surgical options, it’s not worth it and I couldn’t afford time off work/dog walking/riding.

I hope all dc with pins/operations are recovered very soon.

I have arthritis in my feet, as well as family history of bunions. I had an operation on one of my big toes to get rid of some of the damaged bone and to straighten up the toe. They dug out the damaged part, cut a wedge out of my first toe bone and then stuck a staple in it.
I had to keep my foot elevated for 2 weeks and then was on crutches for about 8 weeks, not being able to drive during that time. I couldn't wear any sorts of heels for about a year and it took almost 2 years before I could go up on my tiptoes without any pain. I still can't wear heels for any great length of time (3 years later). I also have a massive 6" scar along the inside of my foot. My toe is nice and straight though. I need to have the other toe done but I'm loathe to do it really because of the recovery time.

It could be that the plantar fascia tendons in the soles of your feet are very tight. Try gently rolling a tennis ball underneath the arches.
An exercise that worked for my ballet dancer dd with very high arches: sit on a chair with a towel on the floor in front of you, try to pull the towel towards you by just using your toes, clench and stretch.
Keep your feet warm and massage your toes and the soles of your feet a lot too.
Take it slowly and steadily - you should see improvement, but it will take a long time.
Obviously, don't do any exercises or stretching without consulting a medical professional first. hth