4 Reasons to Use Toes Spacers When Playing Basketball

Foot health is extremely important for athletes of all kinds, but especially for basketball players. While running usually gets all the attention when it comes to foot and toe injuries and treatments, sports like basketball that require more complex movements are arguably more tough on your feet. One wrong move while doing footwork can cause fractures or sprains, while having improper foot posture over time can lead to long-term problems like achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis.

One way to protect your feet and toes while playing basketball is to wear toe spacers. Toe spacers are little devices made of silicone or gel that can be inserted between your toes to maintain proper toe alignment, which leads to a wide variety of other benefits. Keep reading to learn four reasons why toe spacers can benefit basketball players.

#1. Better Balance

Basketball shoes, like most modern shoes, constrict your toes. While this may not seem like a big deal, this can actually have a serious impact on your balance. And with how much basketball requires split-second decisions in movement, balance is essential to good performance and safety. 

Foundation is essential to good balance, and your body’s foundation starts at the toes. When your toes are constricted and forced out of their natural spread out alignment, it creates an unstable foundation for the rest of your body to align to, which causes issues in strength, balance, and agility. Toe spacers can help to realign your toes to their natural position, which leads to a stronger foundation and better balance overall.

#2. Stronger Feet

When your toes are able to spread out and align properly, it results in stronger feet overall, especially when toe spacers are used for prolonged lengths of time. 

This is because when your feet are set to their proper alignment, everything else falls into place. Muscles that may have been weakened or underperforming because of conventional shoes get a chance to stretch and strengthen once your toes are aligned. This in turn strengthens your foot and provides a natural increase in support and mobility for the arch and ankle.

#3. Injury Prevention

By promoting natural alignment and helping your feet build strength, support, flexibility, and mobility, toe spacers can help prevent injuries that are very common for basketball players.

When your foot is out of alignment, it is weakened and susceptible to injury. For example, conventional shoes often squeeze the big toe toward the rest of your toes, which makes you more susceptible to overpronation. This can cause ankle sprains and arch collapse. When toe spacers force your big toe into their natural position, this issue gets corrected.

#4. Improved Circulation

Have your toes ever felt suspiciously cold compared to the rest of your body? When your toes aren’t in their proper position, circulation is constricted. While your toes naturally don’t get as much blood flow as the rest of your body, they should still be getting more than conventional footwear allows.

When toe spacers align your toes to their proper position, the flow of fresh, oxygenated blood to your tissues increases. This improves the ability of your toes and feet to repair themselves and function properly. 

Conclusion

Overall, toe spacers can be a great asset for basketball players. They improve balance, create stronger feet, prevent injuries, and improve circulation, all of which are crucial to high performance and long-term health.

 If you’re looking to take your game to the next level, consider giving them a try. Simply wear some toe spacers on top of some toe socks under your basketball shoes and hit the court!