Toe box

The toe box of a shoe should fit the wearer's foot without cramping or compressing it. A simple way to test if a toe box is too tight is to take out the insole of the shoe and stand on it. If the toes overhang the insole, the toe box is too small for the foot. The toe box also needs enough extra room to accommodate movements of the foot, such as lengthening arches and the splay of the toes. With each step, ankles and feet bend, toes spread and flex, ==Issues caused by poorly-fitting toe boxes==

Generally, toes should not touch the toe box itself, at the end or at the sides. Toe boxes that put pressure on the foot slowly produce permanent deformities; Joint deformities Too-tight toe boxes can permanently deform the foot, Any material bunion deformity appreciably weakens the foot; the sideways shift in the big toe decreases leverage and shifts weight-bearing. However, this deformity is very common. Hammertoes Tight toe boxes are the most common cause of hammertoes, mallet toes and claw toes. A too-small toe box forces the toes to bend; eventually, the ligaments shorten, the joint capsule tightens, and the toes no longer relax to a straight position when taken out of the shoes. If the ligaments continue to tighten, it may become impossible to straighten the toes. Foot deformation and dysfunction can encourage calluses to form. ==Vertical profile==

Toe boxes are either structured (with a three-dimensional shape, often produced with a thermoplastic interlayer) or unstructured. Structuring mostly affects the depth of the toe box. Some moccasins have wide, unstructured toe boxes, somewhat loose on the foot, which allow toe splay. Many toe boxes also include toe spring, where the sole curves up towards the toes. When the shoe is flexible enough to bend with the foot, at the ball of the foot, this is not needed. Most toe boxes, at a point from the tip, are roughly deep, regardless of style. Especially wide and deep toe boxes may be used to provide space for foot deformities and foot orthotics. File:Boots, pair, man's (AM 1931.576-1).jpg|A pair of boots with symmetrically pointed unstructured square toe boxes. File:Lithuanian clogs.jpg|Entirely wooden clogs are rigid. While they are fairly foot-shaped inside, they often have bulky, pointed "duck-tail" external toe boxes, with substantial external toe spring. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 194-0097-02, Holtwick, Mädchen auf dem Schulweg.jpg|The internal and external shape of a wooden clog allows the shoes to rock forwards, so the foot can push off in a fairly normal gait. ==Horizontal profile==

Toe boxes also come in various widths and horizontal-plane shapes. Foot-shaped toe boxes are rare. Toe boxes often taper symmetrically, from both sides; feet do not. If toe box taper is wide enough that it is outside the space needed by the foot, a tapered toe box can be comfortable. Many shoes have a toe box which is excessively narrow in relation to heel width; if a sufficiently wide toe box can be picked out, the shoe will often be loose on the heel. Some shoe manufacturers make "split sizes", where the toe and heel size are varied independently, on a combination last. There are periodic fashions for pointy-toes shoes. Pointy-toed poulaines were fashionable in the 14th and 15th centuries. Skeletons of people who lived in this time are much more likely to have bunions, and richer people, who were more likely to wear pointy-toed shoes, were more likely to have bunions. Winkle pickers, fashionable in the mid 20th century, were also quite pointed. File:Birkenstock Mules.jpg|A rounded, asymmetical toe box, probably fairly deep. These are quite toe-shaped toeboxes. The toe box does not narrow on the inside, allowing the big toe to point straight forward File:2008-08 archeon schnabelschuh.JPG|Poulaines are turnshoes which have toe boxes with protruding points. File:Gerard_David_-_The_Marriage_at_Cana_%28cropped_to_foreground_shoes%29.jpg|Duckbill shoes came into fashion as poulaines went out of fashion. File:Plateau region moccasins, 1900-1930 - Bata Shoe Museum - DSC00545.JPG|Moccasins are turnshoes. These ones have wide, asymmetrical, rounded toe boxes ==Split toe boxes==

Some toe boxes are split. Some are split into two pockets, like those of ; others are split into more pockets. Five-pocket toe boxes, with one pocket per toe, can be difficult to fit, as each pocket may be too long, too short, too wide, or too narrow. Splitting the toe box helps allow toe splay and gripping. File:Jika-tabi.jpg| with a split two-pocket toe box File:Inov8 Evoskin Minimalist Shoes.jpg|Five-toed shoes, transparent. It can be seen that the wearer's big toes are a bit too long for their pockets, and the small toes too short. File:Zehenstegschuh.jpg|A more conventional shoe with a five-pocket toe box File:Happy Birthday Son - Skele-Toes (5878956020).jpg|Four-pocket toe box ==Applications==

Military An early 20th century survey by the United States Army Medical Corps's Army Shoe Board found that less than five percent of the enlisted men had good feet, and attributed most of the problems to poor shoe fit (including civilian shoes). The toe box of a pointe shoe must be carefully fitted, with width of the toe box according with the dancer's toe shape. When the dancer stands with the feet pointing straight ahead and parallel (sixth position), and bends their knees deeply without raising their heels from the floor (a demi-plié), the feet lengthen; the toes should just touch the platform when in this position. The top of the toe box should be long enough that the throat (edge) falls a bit beyond the far end of the third phalanx, covering it entirely. Dancers often wear specialized padding around and between their toes. ==Creasing==

A stiff, multipiece shoe with toe caps, which has been left on the last a long time, will crease less across the toe box. Leather quality has little effect. Using a shoe tree and a shoehorn will reduce creasing. Creasing is a cosmetic concern, but generally does not impair function. ==See also==