Toe splay
Spread the toes apart and hold.
- 10 times
- Daily
Should feel: The toes separating Should not feel: Cramp
Home / Patient library / Exercise sheets / Sheet 44
Foot and toe exercises
Foot & ankle · Bunion (hallux valgus)
How to use this sheet. Do the exercises slowly. Stop before the pain builds — mild discomfort is fine, sharp pain is not. A little every day beats a lot once a week.
A4 PDF, 0.5 MB. Free to download — no sign-up, no email address needed.
Toe separator stretch
Use a toe separator while sitting.
- 10 minutes
- Daily
Should feel: A gentle stretch Should not feel: Pressure pain, or burning or tingling between the toes — take it out
Towel toe curls
Sit on a chair with the foot flat on a towel on the floor. Curl the toes to pull the towel towards you, then relax them. Keep the heel down.
- 10 times
- Daily
Should feel: The foot muscles working Should not feel: Cramp
Band big-toe stretch
Sit with your feet flat and your heels touching. Loop a band round both big toes. Keep the heels together and turn the front of the feet outward, so the band gently pulls the big toes back towards a straight line. Hold, then relax.
- Hold 5 seconds, 10 times
- Daily
Should feel: A gentle stretch at the big-toe joint Should not feel: Sharp joint pain
Big-toe bend and straighten
Sit with the foot resting on a low stool or across the other knee. Hold the foot steady with one hand. With the other hand, slowly bend the big toe up, then down, as far as is comfortable.
- 10 times
- 2 times a day
Should feel: The big-toe joint moving Should not feel: Sharp or grinding pain — move less far
Marble pickup
Sit on a chair. Pick up marbles one at a time with the toes and drop them into a bowl.
- 10–15 marbles
Should feel: The muscles in the sole of the foot and the underside of the toes working Should not feel: Sharp pain or burning between the toes, or a cramp that does not settle when you stop
Rolling the sole
Sit on a chair and roll the sole of the foot slowly over a cold bottle, from the heel to the front of the arch. Keep it off the ball of the foot if that is sore.
- 2 minutes
- Evenings
Should feel: The sole loosening from the heel to the arch Should not feel: Bruising pain, or pain at the ball of the foot
Calf stretch, knee straight
Hands on a wall, the leg to stretch behind and straight, heel down, toes pointing forward. Lean the hips towards the wall.
- Hold 30 seconds
- 3 times each side, daily
Should feel: A stretch in the upper calf Should not feel: Pain in the heel or the front of the foot
Stop and telephone us if
- The pain is getting worse, not better, after two weeks
- You get new numbness, tingling or weakness
- The joint swells up or locks
- You feel unwell or feverish
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