Dr. Frederick's Original Bunion Sleeves - 2 ct - Orthopedic Relief Socks for Pain - Gel Pad Cushion for Big Toe - Small W5-6.5 | M4.5-6

My only regret about the gel pad bunion sleeve is that I had not been aware of it sooner. I find it extremely helpful. I have bilateral bunions and a hammer toe on my right foot. I have pain, but no calluses, under both metatarsophalangeal joints in the ball of the right and left feet as well as on the side of the joints.I put on the gel pad bunion sleeves when I awake in the morning to do my exercise program. I do my weigh resistance, Tai Chi, Yoga, balance ball and foam roller programs barefoot. They slip on easily and I adjust the pads so they cover the two sore areas. The gel pad is thin but covers and cushions the joint so I do have have pain. I remove them to take my shower and then put them back on and put on a pair of Vagden casual crew socks with a terry cushion sole that keeps the gel pad bunion sleeve in place all day. In addition to pain relief, they also help minimize some edema I had been getting over the top of my feet up to the ankle bones. Unlike compression socks I had been using the Gel Pad bunion sleeves do not cause numbness or tingling or deep creases in my feet and ankles. They are very comfortable.I originally ordered one early this month to try it out. I wear a 10 medium shoe and the large fit well. I since have ordered 4 more. I wash them with my white tee shirts on a warm gentle cycle and leave them on top of the dryer to air dry over night. They dry over night. They have held up well. On one sleeve a tiny "bleb" of the gel pad popped up through the material but it still usable.

These are not tight fitting around the point of bunion pain, even the term 'snug' might be misrepresenting. They fit on the foot like socks basically. I was looking for something that might create a little more pressure around the bunion, but perhaps that isn't what these are meant to do. The padding is nice and these sleeves fit so nicely that they are easy just to wear around the house under socks. True test will be once I wear them with running shoes to see any changes.

Update 9/14/2018: So, I've had these sleeves for years now. On bad days, I will still wear these throughout the day to work, or wear them at night when I go to sleep. It's been 3 years and the ones I originally bought are still working out great. If you've bought pretty much every product on the market to help with your bunions like I have, please give these a try. There's some knockoff brand going around on Amazon, and I accidentally bought a pair of those when I meant to buy another of these a while ago. The knockoff brand works okay, but the stitching starting coming apart within weeks and the edges roll up and down, which makes wearing socks and tights annoying with them. If you're going to get the sleeves, get them from this seller because they are of MUCH better quality.Update 11/25/2015: After wearing these for a while, I'm still in love with these. I can still wear them at night if I need to, and although they are a little uncomfortable when I wear tights, they are perfectly fine when I'm just wearing socks with them. The gel sewn in is the best cushion I've had so far for my bunions. I'm really in love with these, and you can wash them with the rest of your clothes! I'm definitely going to purchase some more of these soon.I've tried a few different kinds of the gel toe separators, expensive shoes, orthopedic shoe liners with arch support, everything I could think of to help my bunions in the last few months. The toe separators are generally fine, but they don't work so well with most of my shoes. These bunion sleeves are amazing. I just got them last night and have been wearing them every minute since. Right away I noticed that I had a bit more freedom of movement without pain. The sleeve separates the big toe from the rest, and pulls it slightly away from them so that the big toe doesn't overlap the others when at rest. I don't have to wear socks with them when I go to sleep at night. They move around a little bit, but throughout the whole night, they never came off. It still hurts to walk down stairs and other small things trigger the pain, but I can at least walk around my home without limping. I only have mild bunions at this point, but it's still incredibly painful. I'm very grateful to have found these bunion sleeves. They are definitely the best purchase I've made in my search for bunion relief.

when walking on uneven surfaces, the seams caused excruciating pain making me buckle when hiking. The pad is of thin, slippery material which has no friction against socks. It does fill in a little extra room in your shoe. If you walk on uneven surfaces which make your feet turn in different directions, including sideways, I found the seam on these to slide over to the side causing extreme pain against the foot. Too bad these do not stay put on your foot on uneven surfaces when hiking; thus the 4-star rating situation. They do well if you walk on flat ground with not too much incline.

I Usually write good to great honest reviews on products that I purchase but I'll have to,unfortunately write a different one here. I bought this product because I had bunions thatwere very painful. I decided to try this product . thinking there's "nothing to lose". I wore them one timeonly, for several hours at work. They provided some comfort by reducing the pain caused by thebunions. However, after I got home and removed my shoe and sock, I realized the product had causeda blister! I was very upset.....I was thinking that I bought this product to help with a problem, however,it created another problem. So I've been trying to eliminate the blister for about 4-5 weeks now!the material it's made out of will bend and become crinkled underneath your feet. After that, the pressureapplied to your foot in that area , from walking and standing, will create a blister.

Easy to put on, effective

They came apart after a few weeks. They were comfortable while they lasted.