I have an obvious bunion on one foot (the other is fine). I work at home most of the time and so I am barefoot or in socks much of the time, and when I wear shoes they’ve almost always very comfortable, wide, casual shoes. When I wear dressy shoes, they are flats, and never with pointy toes.
I’m now working in the office more, and soon will be working in the office most of the time. A few weeks ago I was in the office for an entire week, and one of the pairs of dressy flats caused major pain in the bunion when I wore it for an entire day. Since then, I’ve been dealing with intermittent pain and feelings of instability in my foot. I ordered one of these:
It makes my foot feel much better, but hasn’t completely solved the problem.
I did a search and found that many posters mentioned bunions. I’m hoping to benefit from the collective wisdom. Has anyone found any non-surgical solutions? And was surgery successful for anyone who’s had it?
I had surgery on both feet when I was in my late teens/early 20’s (not at the same time.) The first I’ve had no trouble with and it’s been 40 years. With the second, I didn’t follow Drs instruction to not go dancing/stay off my foot, etc.
I had to wear a boot thingy and I got tired of it and not being able to go party/dancing. My fault completely. ’
Thank you for the responses. I’d been under the impression that bunion surgery was to be avoided. I’m happy to hear that there are at least some good outcomes.
dmd77, thank you for the yogatoes suggestion - do they reduce pain or reduce the bunion itself?
I would suggest buying soft=footbed birkenstocks (which help keep arches supported) and shoes such as Alegrias, which sell some cute shoes that are very supportive and have room for your bunion.
All the women in my family have had bunion surgery, some on both feet, and all have said that after an initial improvement, they were absolutely no better and in 2 cases, worse. I wonder if some types of bunions might respond better than others as some people here have had success. If you’re considering it, I would ask a lot of questions of the doc first about realistic expectations.
In the meantime, try wearing shoes with good cushioning and a wide toe box.
Have you seen men wearing ballet flats? Stop wearing flats. Your feet will thank you. 1/2 inch to 1 inch heel is ideal for walking (running is different).
BTW, a tendency to develop bunions is apparently genetic.
There are shoe stretchers that come with a bunion plug. Apparently, they help to create extra room to accommodate bunions.
The Yogatoes actually help realign your feet. Of course, you also have to stop wearing bad shoes. I decided about four years ago that cute shoes weren’t worth the morning-after pain. Now I wear high quality running shoes at all times. Yes, even to weddings and funerals.
I had bunion surgery on both feet which included using multiple screws to put bones back together. After a protracted healing process which included using an electrical bone growth stimulator when the feet failed to knit back together, I was finally able to lose the surgical boots. For about a year I was able to wear wide width low heel shoes without too much pain. Over time the bunions regrew (or new ones formed?) and I moved to extra-wide width shoes. About a decade later, my doctor suggested more surgery and I declined.
I wear XW athletic shoes most of the time. For a few hours, I can manage to wear XW low heel shoes from Hotter (a UK company) or Munro, if I use a good insert for arch support. I can’t wear even a 1" heel due to plantar fasciitis and a tendency to stress fractures in the forefoot.
Sorry I can’t be more encouraging. Had I known what the outcome of my surgery would be, I would not have gone through it. However, everyone else I know who’s had bunion surgery has been pleased with the results.
Following this with much interest. D2 was born with a bunion on one foot. We took her to a world renowned specialist when she was in high school and he told her to go as long as possible without surgery. As an athlete her feet take quite a beating. All of her shoes wear out where the bunion rubs on the leather. Running shoes with mesh sides are the most comfortable for her but even those get holes from the bunion. She can’t wear ballet flats as they cut across the bunion and are painful for her. Her favorite work shoe is a wedge by Cole Haan that has Nike Air cushioning in it. She always wears good shoes. She is now 25 and the bunion pain gets worse every year.
I have big ugly bunions on both feet and just wear wide shoes to accommodate them. But I miss being able to buy the variety of fun shoes I used to in stores. Now I have to order them all online. I do pretty well with Clarks for work shoes and New Balance for sneakers. I cannot imagine getting surgery, especially reading some of these stories. I had more pain in my 20s and 30s as they were forming.
I have bunions and hammer toes on both feet and a small wardrobe of shoes that work for me. When I go shopping, I don’t even try 90% of the shoes, and I can’t comfortably fit my feet into 90% of the rest. So then I try walking in that last 1% for a few minutes. I don’t buy many shoes.
Styles that work best (other than wide box sneakers and flip flops) are some of the wedged sandals, and espadrilles. It has to have room to stretch across the bunions, and can’t press down on the hammer toes. I can’t wear anything that has a strap going across the top of the foot. Best shot are styles that have the material coming down to a V shape or a criss cross. I live in fear for my existing shoes to wear out.
After being laid up for three months with a broken ankle a few years ago, and the recovery period, I have no desire to ever have bunion surgery unless I really can’t walk. My latest PT gave some good exercises to strengthen my arch.and avoid stressing the bunion, especially arch lifts which help you avoid rolling your foot towards the bunion when you walk.
I have a bunion on one foot. I will NOT wear or continue to wear any shoe that bothers my bunion. Period. Even if it means getting rid of really cute shoes. I am very careful when I shop for shoes, and I will stop wearing any that seemed to be okay if they turn out not to be. When the bunion first made its presence known (MANY years ago), I had a cortisone shot to reduce the inflammation. I have been able to manage it with the shoe-policy ever since.
My niece, however, had no choice but to have her bunions removed surgically. Not a fun surgery.
I had bunion surgery on the big toe side and small toe side of both feet. The surgeries were done four years apart. Waiting to have the second foot done allowed arthritis to set in, and bunion surgery did not remedy the situation. I do not regret having the surgeries, but wish I had not waited so long for the second procedure. I had the first surgery at 48, the second at age 52.
The problem I have with a wide shoe is that my feet are quite narrow. I don’t have a problem wearing athletic shoes or casual shoes, and some dressy flats are fine. Others are awful, and it’s not clear to me what the difference is.
Marilyn, I like the idea of doing exercises to strengthen the arch. I sometimes wear an arch bandage (linked above) that goes around my foot at the arch and compresses it. It feels good, as it makes my foot feel more structurally sound. I did have to take it off in Zumba class last night, though. About 10 minutes in I noticed that one foot was hurting, and I realized that I was wearing the bandage.
I would like to avoid surgery if at all possible. It seems that outcomes vary quite a bit. And the recovery would be tough.
I had bunion surgery on one foot 10 years ago. It was very painful. At this point, my foot really looks no better, but it doesn’t really hurt unless I wear fancy shoes. I wear New Balance sneakers everywhere except the office, where my boss freaks out about them. I wear ballet type flats at the office. I have a nice pair of Easy Spirit shoes for “functions,” but I can’t wear them for too long.
My bunions are genetic because my dad had the same ones and he never wore high heels! Whenever my kids are barefoot. I stare at their feet. A couple of them are getting the bunions.
I have no feeling in part of my operated foot and some loss in range of motion. It’s probably totally my fault. I refused to go to physical therapy because the thought of someone looking at and touching my foot made me ill. To this day, I do not walk barefoot and I never let anyone see my feet. I can’t wear flip flops because of the spread between my toes but I wouldn’t anyway. I find the look of them off putting. When my D wore them into Manhattan with me once, against my directions, I stepped on her foot on purpose to show her what could happen. I stepped lightly, not to hurt her but to show her how easily she could be hurt. She now wears sneakers when traveling into the city.
The other foot also has a bunion but it doesn’t bother me as much and I don’t plan to have surgery on it.
My daughter had both feet done 2 years apart. She was practically crawling the last semester her foot hurt so badly. I believe the recovery depends on the nerve involvement. Her first surgery had a longer, more painful recovery. The one this summer went pretty smoothly. She’s not an athlete but walks and works out. She is still careful with shoes, but not like before. For her it was well worth it. I made sure she stayed off her foot, elevated and iced it. We had a roller thing she could kneel on with one knee and zoom around since she hated the crutches. We made sure she transitioned to the walking boot, then the post op shoe. I had to watch her like a hawk, she was impatient with recovery but I knew adhering to dr’s orders would give a better outcome.