Bare feet and bunions!

[BestZebbie]

I just wanted to let other people know about this because I feel so outraged. :-)

I have been based in my house for the majority of the week for the last five years or so, so although I go outside and wear shoes most days for a few hours, I am barefoot for about 20 hours a day.

I have been feeling super smug about this and how healthy my feet will be without being squeezed into pointy office shoes or wearing heels or sweaty trainers etc, plenty of room to spread out as much as they want.

But today I noticed that my big toes have started to lean towards the other toes anyway, and in fact, I am starting to get a bunion on each foot! I'm 43.

It turns out that being barefoot can actually cause bunions as much as poorly-fitting shoes can, and it is only barefoot shoes that help. I feel cheated! And also now in need of some bunion-proof indoor footwear.

Anyway....if you like to walk barefoot.....beware the bunions.....

Um this just isn’t true, being barefoot doesn’t cause bunions it’s usually poorly fitting shoes, genetics or your gait. You should have your gait assessed to see if that’s the issue, you can do certain exercises to strengthen the muscles in your feet and ankles

I've spent a lot of time barefoot (to the point that, when I was 18, I could run on gravel without shoes.)
I blame my bunions on genes from my mother's side of the family. I suspect that if I had spent less time without shoes, they'd have made their presence known earlier.

Yes, "If you already suffer from poor alignment, walking barefoot may actually aggravate your bunion and cause it to advance." ( https://sydneybunionclinic.com.au/does-walking-barefoot-help-a-bunion/ )

"While the idea of walking without shoes might seem like a break for your feet, in reality, it can worsen pain, increase inflammation, and speed up the progression of the condition." (https://www.michiganfootdoctors.com/is-walking-barefoot-good-for-bunions-is-your-foot-pain-worse/ )

You are right, it is gait and genetic foot alignment/arch shape (and/or arthritis etc) that is the underlying issue, but apparently the lack of arch support and anything keeping your toes straight when walking like that barefoot on hard, flat surfaces can be a problem - which is very much the opposite of what I was always taught, which is that walking around without shoes is always good for your feet (unless you stand in some broken glass ofc....).

Are you doing anything odd with your feet when you're resting? I'm really bad for ramming mine on the base of my computer chair, like standing on my tiptoes but obvs I'm sitting down. Or, sitting on the sofa bracing myself on the floor with the tips of my toes ballerina style as my sofa is too wide for my dumpy legs 😆.

I have massive bunions, completely hereditary. They have been made neither worse nor better by spending a LOT of time barefoot, but my feet are more comfortable and my shoe bill is lower.

I have been reliably informed (podiatrist and physio) that you can tell the difference between “bad shoe” bunions and “hereditary” bunions, depending on the weight distribution across your foot. Mine is really even, so apart from meaning I need wide fittings, they give me no other problems. So I release the buns whenever I can!

I am trying to work this out as we speak but now my feet 'know I'm watching them' so I have forgotten what I usually do. :-)