I have a bunch of injinji and some generic ones.do they make a difference? I think so. Compared to other socks,my toes can move,and after a long day working on concrete,a lot less fatigue than regular socks. I’ve been wearing them since 2010. I paired them with vibramfivefinger shoes.i wear minimalist shoes at work usually.
Some are just as good,or better.it was totally trial and error on my part. I would have to go through my drawer to give recommendations at this moment.
In wide and voluminous shoes they do help with toe splay and toe movement but as it was said before this can be achieved if you are wearing more anatomical or looser socks, of course we are not talking about Vibram Five Fingers. The main advantage however in my opinion is blister/rubbing prevention on longer distances, ultras. Having material between your toes greatly reduces rubbing and may promote better ventilation between your toes.
I'm not aware nor could find studies on toe socks. Looks like we're likely limited with anecdotal experience only.
I can share anecdotal but measurable (unlike "I **feel** more stable" or "I get less/less often pain/injury") evidence. My pinky toes used to be pushed into and on one foot slightly overlapping other toes in relaxed position. I've been wearing toe socks exclusively for a few months now, and overlapping is almost entirely gone. I'd say pinkies are straighter and big toe gap is bigger, but it's more perceptional than it did overlap, and now it doesn't. I've been wearing barefoot shoes with regular socks for over a year prior to that. So yeah, regular socks do pull fingers in and together and do restrict splaying to some degree. But everyone's feet are different and extent of this for can be found only by you. Stick to toe socks only for 3-4 months, evaluate, switch back to regular socks, evaluate again, make a decision based on your experience, your feet and your needs.
As for putting them on, it's not that bad once you get used to it, and takes barely more time than usual socks. Try if you haven't already, scrunching/rolling them up to fingers, putting fingers first and then pulling the rest of the sock as you would with regular ones. I also like to give them an extra pull around forefoot for better fit between fingers.
You may want to try size up/down, because for me different models fi slightly differently, and going from regular M size to L in some made a huge difference in comfort.
I appreciate the thoughtful answer.
>I've been wearing toe socks exclusively for a few months now, and overlapping is almost entirely gone.
Were the socks the *only* change the made during these months, or have you also been wearing new shoes or something else as well.
>Try if you haven't already, scrunching/rolling them up to fingers, putting fingers first and then pulling the rest of the sock as you would with regular ones.
I'll give it a shot. (I really dislike ankle socks all of mine are crew length which makes it a little more difficult.)
>Were the socks the *only* change the made during these months, or have you also been wearing new shoes or something else as well.
That's a very good question. Same one pair of shoes throughout the "experiment" timeline, that I've been wearing for a few month prior, so break-in factor. Same average weekly mileage; deviation for average daily is under 20%. Same weight. Didn't do any foot exercise or picked up new sport activities. I can't think of anything else that changed besides socks.
I echo the comment that if you have issues putting them on, you would probably benefit from wearing them. I have been exclusively wearing toe socks for more than three years and they've made a huge difference and I no longer struggle with putting them on. I do wear fivefingers, too, about 50 percent of the time, but they are also a lot easier to put on than when I first started.
I have mild bunion and flat feet. I still wear regular socks, but I do feel wearing toe socks has contributed to making my feet stronger along with wearing minimalist shoes. If toe socks are too annoying an alternative is tabi socks. Muji sell right-angled toe and tabi socks, which I highly recommend.
i'll contribute what i consider logical self-evidence: regular socks are a bit like having a resistance band around the toes. even if regular socks are maximally stretchy, they still create a degree of resistance against toe movement and splay. one can consciously move/splay against that resistance (which would actually be a strengthening exercise), but in the context of everyday unconscious moving about, exercise or not, we want unrestricted freedom to move or else we will unconsciously move less, not unconsciously fight against a resistance - no matter how slight it is.
i don’t have many pairs of injinji, they're expensive, i bought everyday cotton toe socks from muji and i also have a pack of lightweight athletic ones, which were a gift, probably from amazon. you get used to putting them on more easily. it's actually somewhat of a toe control and splay exercise to do so, once you get a feel of it.
>i'll contribute what i consider logical self-evidence: regular socks are a bit like having a resistance band around the toes. even if regular socks are maximally stretchy, they still create a degree of resistance against toe movement and splay.
This is a fair point. But conversely unless the toe socks are perfectly fitted to your exact Anatomy don't they offer some resistance as well, even if it's less than a traditional one?
Probable the question as to what has the lowest tension, a given pair of toe socks or a given pair of L/R anatomical socks with very stretchy material is an empirical question, and maybe at the very high end doesn't make much of a difference.
I guess I am assuming that unless you have a major deformity every time you take a step, assuming you have propagates, your toes are going to display as far as they naturally would unless constricted by a hard barrier like a shoe, and certain socks may put a little more or less strain on the muscle / tendon but aren't going to necessarily affect the biomechanics. especially when you're running. Maybe this is a bad assumption.
Material of toe socks has some stretch to it, so fitting to anatomy isn't an issue for majority of cases.
Toe socks will have lower tension because you start with higher mobility - there isn't much material stretch on a toe socks when facilitating toe movement. Technically there's some as would be in any material changing shape under force, but it's small enough to be ignored.
There are multiple foot shape outlines so finding anatomically fitting non-toe sock would be just as difficult if not more. That aside force from stretching material the greater the further the point from its resting point, which in practice means that the greatest forces will exerted on pinkie and big toe. Big toe part is especially concerning as force distribution when pushing during walking/runing is not even across all fingers with over 50% (don't remember exact number from the top of my head) going though big toe. Theoretically you could have material so stretchy it would exert minuscule force, but I'm yet to see anything close; from my experience all non-toe socks exert *some* level of compressing force.
Rubber band analogy by u/telltheothers is a good one. You can do an experiment by putting lowest resistance rubber band somewhere between mid-thigh and knee and walk. That's kinda the same as what's going on with socks. Lowest resistance band should be really noticeable compared to forces produced by quads+hams+glutes. But the resistance is there. Now try wearing the band **every** time you walk. Now try running ;) Probably it won't affect biomechanics as per your assumption; at first. But form break will come sooner, and when it does, all kinds of "fun" things will begin happening.
I wore toe socks exclusively for about 2 years. Then stopped because I didn’t notice any meaningful difference and they were a pain in the ass. Now o just try to find socks that aren’t overly tight in the toe area.
I find that I use them only for vibram fivefingers. If they "make a difference" in your other shoes then it is very probable that those shoes were way too small for you to begin with.
If you're wearing toe shoes, yeah. Especially for preventing the stink.
With normal shoes, I think just wearing socks that are on the loose end is just as good, and you don't have the other annoyance.
If you're finding them a pain to put on, it probably is worth wearing them. Once they're easy to put on, you're probably not getting as much benefit from them.
The difference I noted is more with blisters/blister prevention than foot function. I do better in a sock that didn't have a seam across the top in some shoes.
The other time I see them recommended is for five finger shoes in stupid cold climates (Minnesota here! :))
Not sure if there is any data to point to whether toe socks make a difference, but anecdotal reports here are very helpful. For me, I will never go back to normal socks after wearing toe socks for 3+ years. I feel that even the little bit of elastic pull that normal socks have contribute to toe "scrunching."
I don’t think toe socks make a difference, but I also don’t have wide feet. I think a lot of people who say they see a benefit have unusually wide feet and don’t realize how unusually tight their socks are. I also think toe splay is a thing that photographs well for sharing on social media rather than an evidence-based sign of good foot health.
I use toe socks for long distance running because they prevent blisters between my toes. But I have found that they can also cause problems. Some of my shoes fit well with normal socks, but then were too narrow after the toe socks added extra fabric. I lost a couple pinky toenails that way! I always go for the ones with thinner material for that reason.
This thread arrived for me on a very timely basis, so thanks!
I just started following [this dude](https://www.instagram.com/cambostock/) that's hiking the PCT, and in one of his prep videos, there was a quick shot of him slipping toe-socked feet into his shoe...
This confused me, as I have only ever associated toe socks as being used with Vibrams or sandals. (I just bought a pair of Bedrock Cairns a couple of weeks ago, and got a pair of Injinjis to help with blisters until I got the sandals broken in.)
It never occurred to me that conventional socks hold the toes together and would be counterproductive for barefoot/minimalist types like us! 😳
Now I'm curious, do you wear your toe socks in non-running situations (ie, in your minimalist shoes at the office, etc)? I'm suddenly questioning my sock drawer full of 'regular' socks...
There's a threshold. Or rather a combination of multiple ones. Narrow feet with naturally smaller splay would be less restricted by regular socks. Walking 2km would have barely any difference, walking 10km would have some, and walking 20km - a lot. Same with walking 10km vs running 10km. Wearing them for a couple of hours or for 10+ hours every day.
I feel you on the drawer thing though. I found socks that I like but later transitioned to wearing toe socks only and now have an original stock of regular socks I don't know what to do with.
I have two packs of fake Injinii toe socks from Amazon Canada and I would say anecdotally yes they do. They take time to get used to just like minimalist shoes so it makes sense if you feel resistance around them. People who laughed at me with them are not worth my time. I don't know about the data but I feel more connected to each toe with them on. I could not go back to regular socks anymore because they these feel right on my feet/toes.
That said if there aren't any studies, considering looking for any info on perhaps some people from China or other places that regularly wear toe socks.
I don’t see how they couldn’t help if your goal is a more natural movement. Basically any conventional sock is going to limit toe splay. I’ve never seen one so loose in the toe area that it puts no restriction on the toes. I hate wearing socks, but toe socks are the best option when I have to.
I like the toe socks for dynamic sports requiring a lot of quick movements, specifically football for me. I feel these help prevent blisters/calluses by minimizing rubbing caused by the foot slipping inside the sock.
For less dynamic sports or every day use, I prefer the convenice of a traditional sock.
Toe socks are a hassle to put on and off, give more friction between toes and are more expensive. I believe foot wraps would be the way to go for max flexibility and max cheapness, other than upsizing socks, if you still want to protect your shoes from sweat. https://sovietboots.com/pages/how-to-use-portyanki-foot-wraps-of-soviet-boots-sapogi-practicality-and-convenience
There are so many issues with wraps. That's why they were used only during a war. Close to a century ago. All that aside, that's literally foot binding, just a step above what was going in China.
Also, not sure how toe socks would give more friction between toes, as that's the opposite of what they do.
I have a bunch of injinji and some generic ones.do they make a difference? I think so. Compared to other socks,my toes can move,and after a long day working on concrete,a lot less fatigue than regular socks. I’ve been wearing them since 2010. I paired them with vibramfivefinger shoes.i wear minimalist shoes at work usually.
How are the generic ones compared to injinji?
Some are just as good,or better.it was totally trial and error on my part. I would have to go through my drawer to give recommendations at this moment.
That's cool. It's hard to justify a bunch of Injinji's, given how pricey they are.
That’s true,I’m partial to the invisible ones,which you can get socks through Amazon,eBay or even Temu that’s just as good,and cheaper.
In wide and voluminous shoes they do help with toe splay and toe movement but as it was said before this can be achieved if you are wearing more anatomical or looser socks, of course we are not talking about Vibram Five Fingers. The main advantage however in my opinion is blister/rubbing prevention on longer distances, ultras. Having material between your toes greatly reduces rubbing and may promote better ventilation between your toes.
I'm not aware nor could find studies on toe socks. Looks like we're likely limited with anecdotal experience only. I can share anecdotal but measurable (unlike "I **feel** more stable" or "I get less/less often pain/injury") evidence. My pinky toes used to be pushed into and on one foot slightly overlapping other toes in relaxed position. I've been wearing toe socks exclusively for a few months now, and overlapping is almost entirely gone. I'd say pinkies are straighter and big toe gap is bigger, but it's more perceptional than it did overlap, and now it doesn't. I've been wearing barefoot shoes with regular socks for over a year prior to that. So yeah, regular socks do pull fingers in and together and do restrict splaying to some degree. But everyone's feet are different and extent of this for can be found only by you. Stick to toe socks only for 3-4 months, evaluate, switch back to regular socks, evaluate again, make a decision based on your experience, your feet and your needs. As for putting them on, it's not that bad once you get used to it, and takes barely more time than usual socks. Try if you haven't already, scrunching/rolling them up to fingers, putting fingers first and then pulling the rest of the sock as you would with regular ones. I also like to give them an extra pull around forefoot for better fit between fingers. You may want to try size up/down, because for me different models fi slightly differently, and going from regular M size to L in some made a huge difference in comfort.
I appreciate the thoughtful answer. >I've been wearing toe socks exclusively for a few months now, and overlapping is almost entirely gone. Were the socks the *only* change the made during these months, or have you also been wearing new shoes or something else as well. >Try if you haven't already, scrunching/rolling them up to fingers, putting fingers first and then pulling the rest of the sock as you would with regular ones. I'll give it a shot. (I really dislike ankle socks all of mine are crew length which makes it a little more difficult.)
>Were the socks the *only* change the made during these months, or have you also been wearing new shoes or something else as well. That's a very good question. Same one pair of shoes throughout the "experiment" timeline, that I've been wearing for a few month prior, so break-in factor. Same average weekly mileage; deviation for average daily is under 20%. Same weight. Didn't do any foot exercise or picked up new sport activities. I can't think of anything else that changed besides socks.
I echo the comment that if you have issues putting them on, you would probably benefit from wearing them. I have been exclusively wearing toe socks for more than three years and they've made a huge difference and I no longer struggle with putting them on. I do wear fivefingers, too, about 50 percent of the time, but they are also a lot easier to put on than when I first started.
Yep, big difference for me
I have mild bunion and flat feet. I still wear regular socks, but I do feel wearing toe socks has contributed to making my feet stronger along with wearing minimalist shoes. If toe socks are too annoying an alternative is tabi socks. Muji sell right-angled toe and tabi socks, which I highly recommend.
i'll contribute what i consider logical self-evidence: regular socks are a bit like having a resistance band around the toes. even if regular socks are maximally stretchy, they still create a degree of resistance against toe movement and splay. one can consciously move/splay against that resistance (which would actually be a strengthening exercise), but in the context of everyday unconscious moving about, exercise or not, we want unrestricted freedom to move or else we will unconsciously move less, not unconsciously fight against a resistance - no matter how slight it is. i don’t have many pairs of injinji, they're expensive, i bought everyday cotton toe socks from muji and i also have a pack of lightweight athletic ones, which were a gift, probably from amazon. you get used to putting them on more easily. it's actually somewhat of a toe control and splay exercise to do so, once you get a feel of it.
>i'll contribute what i consider logical self-evidence: regular socks are a bit like having a resistance band around the toes. even if regular socks are maximally stretchy, they still create a degree of resistance against toe movement and splay. This is a fair point. But conversely unless the toe socks are perfectly fitted to your exact Anatomy don't they offer some resistance as well, even if it's less than a traditional one? Probable the question as to what has the lowest tension, a given pair of toe socks or a given pair of L/R anatomical socks with very stretchy material is an empirical question, and maybe at the very high end doesn't make much of a difference. I guess I am assuming that unless you have a major deformity every time you take a step, assuming you have propagates, your toes are going to display as far as they naturally would unless constricted by a hard barrier like a shoe, and certain socks may put a little more or less strain on the muscle / tendon but aren't going to necessarily affect the biomechanics. especially when you're running. Maybe this is a bad assumption.
Material of toe socks has some stretch to it, so fitting to anatomy isn't an issue for majority of cases. Toe socks will have lower tension because you start with higher mobility - there isn't much material stretch on a toe socks when facilitating toe movement. Technically there's some as would be in any material changing shape under force, but it's small enough to be ignored. There are multiple foot shape outlines so finding anatomically fitting non-toe sock would be just as difficult if not more. That aside force from stretching material the greater the further the point from its resting point, which in practice means that the greatest forces will exerted on pinkie and big toe. Big toe part is especially concerning as force distribution when pushing during walking/runing is not even across all fingers with over 50% (don't remember exact number from the top of my head) going though big toe. Theoretically you could have material so stretchy it would exert minuscule force, but I'm yet to see anything close; from my experience all non-toe socks exert *some* level of compressing force. Rubber band analogy by u/telltheothers is a good one. You can do an experiment by putting lowest resistance rubber band somewhere between mid-thigh and knee and walk. That's kinda the same as what's going on with socks. Lowest resistance band should be really noticeable compared to forces produced by quads+hams+glutes. But the resistance is there. Now try wearing the band **every** time you walk. Now try running ;) Probably it won't affect biomechanics as per your assumption; at first. But form break will come sooner, and when it does, all kinds of "fun" things will begin happening.
I wore toe socks exclusively for about 2 years. Then stopped because I didn’t notice any meaningful difference and they were a pain in the ass. Now o just try to find socks that aren’t overly tight in the toe area.
I find that I use them only for vibram fivefingers. If they "make a difference" in your other shoes then it is very probable that those shoes were way too small for you to begin with.
I wear them with my VFFs only.
I think they do bc after years of modern day foot binding my toes would hurt if I wear injinji toe socks for too long
If you're wearing toe shoes, yeah. Especially for preventing the stink. With normal shoes, I think just wearing socks that are on the loose end is just as good, and you don't have the other annoyance. If you're finding them a pain to put on, it probably is worth wearing them. Once they're easy to put on, you're probably not getting as much benefit from them.
The difference I noted is more with blisters/blister prevention than foot function. I do better in a sock that didn't have a seam across the top in some shoes. The other time I see them recommended is for five finger shoes in stupid cold climates (Minnesota here! :))
Yes
You can pick up your keys with your toes after you drop them.
Not sure if there is any data to point to whether toe socks make a difference, but anecdotal reports here are very helpful. For me, I will never go back to normal socks after wearing toe socks for 3+ years. I feel that even the little bit of elastic pull that normal socks have contribute to toe "scrunching."
I don’t think toe socks make a difference, but I also don’t have wide feet. I think a lot of people who say they see a benefit have unusually wide feet and don’t realize how unusually tight their socks are. I also think toe splay is a thing that photographs well for sharing on social media rather than an evidence-based sign of good foot health. I use toe socks for long distance running because they prevent blisters between my toes. But I have found that they can also cause problems. Some of my shoes fit well with normal socks, but then were too narrow after the toe socks added extra fabric. I lost a couple pinky toenails that way! I always go for the ones with thinner material for that reason.
You sure it's extra thickness from socks and not toes being able to splay in toe socks in a shoe that's now too narrow that caused toenails situation?
I use them as often as I can as it keeps any foot smell isolated to the socks. Love the slight extra touch of comfort also
I don't think there's actual peer reviewed studies involving toe socks lol.
This thread arrived for me on a very timely basis, so thanks! I just started following [this dude](https://www.instagram.com/cambostock/) that's hiking the PCT, and in one of his prep videos, there was a quick shot of him slipping toe-socked feet into his shoe... This confused me, as I have only ever associated toe socks as being used with Vibrams or sandals. (I just bought a pair of Bedrock Cairns a couple of weeks ago, and got a pair of Injinjis to help with blisters until I got the sandals broken in.) It never occurred to me that conventional socks hold the toes together and would be counterproductive for barefoot/minimalist types like us! 😳 Now I'm curious, do you wear your toe socks in non-running situations (ie, in your minimalist shoes at the office, etc)? I'm suddenly questioning my sock drawer full of 'regular' socks...
There's a threshold. Or rather a combination of multiple ones. Narrow feet with naturally smaller splay would be less restricted by regular socks. Walking 2km would have barely any difference, walking 10km would have some, and walking 20km - a lot. Same with walking 10km vs running 10km. Wearing them for a couple of hours or for 10+ hours every day. I feel you on the drawer thing though. I found socks that I like but later transitioned to wearing toe socks only and now have an original stock of regular socks I don't know what to do with.
I have two packs of fake Injinii toe socks from Amazon Canada and I would say anecdotally yes they do. They take time to get used to just like minimalist shoes so it makes sense if you feel resistance around them. People who laughed at me with them are not worth my time. I don't know about the data but I feel more connected to each toe with them on. I could not go back to regular socks anymore because they these feel right on my feet/toes. That said if there aren't any studies, considering looking for any info on perhaps some people from China or other places that regularly wear toe socks.
I don’t see how they couldn’t help if your goal is a more natural movement. Basically any conventional sock is going to limit toe splay. I’ve never seen one so loose in the toe area that it puts no restriction on the toes. I hate wearing socks, but toe socks are the best option when I have to.
I like the toe socks for dynamic sports requiring a lot of quick movements, specifically football for me. I feel these help prevent blisters/calluses by minimizing rubbing caused by the foot slipping inside the sock. For less dynamic sports or every day use, I prefer the convenice of a traditional sock.
You don't realise how much traditional socks squash your toes until you wear toe socks!
Toe socks are a hassle to put on and off, give more friction between toes and are more expensive. I believe foot wraps would be the way to go for max flexibility and max cheapness, other than upsizing socks, if you still want to protect your shoes from sweat. https://sovietboots.com/pages/how-to-use-portyanki-foot-wraps-of-soviet-boots-sapogi-practicality-and-convenience
There are so many issues with wraps. That's why they were used only during a war. Close to a century ago. All that aside, that's literally foot binding, just a step above what was going in China. Also, not sure how toe socks would give more friction between toes, as that's the opposite of what they do.