Obwegeser Soft Tissue Toe Retractor, 22 cm – Toe Up or Down

A toe is the turned lip at the end of the blade, and its direction is not a preference — it sets whether the instrument lifts tissue away from the surgeon or holds it down and back. Working above the operative plane needs a toe that turns up; working below it needs one that turns down. A single instrument cannot do both, which is why the pattern is stocked in two forms.

What the toe adds over a plain blade is grip by shape. A flat blade holds tissue only while pressure is maintained; a turned toe hooks over the tissue edge so the retractor holds position with far less force. That matters across a 22 cm reach, where any force applied at the handle arrives at the blade multiplied and harder to judge.

Specifications