People with bunions - what shoes and trainers do you recommend?

[WellTidy]

I’ve had bunions for years, and they’re getting worse. They’ve been assessed (scale is mild/moderate/severe) as moderate on one foot and moderate to severe on the other foot. I’m 46.

I know that surgery is probably going to happen. But I need to be able to wear shoes in the meantime!

I really struggle to fit my moderate to severe foot into anything on the high street. Wide fit doesn’t cut it. The loafers that I’ve worn for years for work that used to be comfortable now cut me on the bunion and on the heel (I think that not having been in the office for 18 months means that the bunions have worsened in that time).

I’m stuck. The only shoes that I’m left with are sketchers lace ups in that knitted type fabric, but my feet get wet in these when the water on the pavement splashes back on my toes.

What would you recommend please? I am ideally looking for loafer/brogue type shoes to wear with skirts and leather or suede trainers in navy/grey to wear with jeans.

I was coming on to say look at barefoot brands like @Brusca. I have bunions - one is very painful - but since moving fully to barefoot shoes last year, it’s much less painful.

@Brusca

Most mainstream shoes, even supposedly wide-fit shoes, have bunion shaped toe boxes.

Would you consider minimalist/barefoot shoes that have a physiologically correct shaped toe box?

Happy Little Soles site has a good selection for adults.

Those photos make me so sad! Why are shoes shaped like that?!

What dms do people have? I have wide fit feet & bunions & had original dm boots as a teenager & they hurt so, so much. Do they now sell wide fit? I’ve taken a quick look & cannot find them & the chelsea boots don’t look very wide.

Those of you who have had surgery, what was the recovery time like? DP has horrendous bunions and is only early 30s. He works in sport and is essentially exercising on his feet for 12 hours a day. Plus he’s self employed so if he doesn’t work he doesn’t get paid so having the surgery is a big worry for him.

If you're talking about running shoes, Saucony have a wider than average toe box and are widely recommended for bunions. I never buy any other brand now.

gb.ecco.com/en-GB/product/5642820349/ECCO-SOFT-7-WEDGE-W

Anyone know where there are similar but less pricey sock shoes please. These ones from Ecco are not bad but £100 is a bit steep!

@DentalWorries
With hindsight I should have had them both done at the same time but not knowing what to expect or how painful it would be that I opted for one surgery at a time. Tbh not certain that chevron osteotomy would be the right op for someone exercising in his feet all day and having the surgery relatively young can lead to arthritis later in life. Basically your big toe is secured back in place by a titanium screw . I can’t remember how long the recovery was. I know it’s two weeks strapped post op and you have to keep the weight off your foot. Then after that is a bit of a blur( not helpful)
It wasn’t as painful as I had imagined and being fit and healthily helped recovery time .

Mine are painful but I can't contemplate the time out for an op.

AllBirds.

I recommend Sole Bliss! I have bunions and their shoes are really comfortable, supportive as well as stylish. I have got their trainers and loafers. Its now all I wear.
They have navy and grey suede trainers as well as lots of different colours of loafers. [[https://solebliss.com/products/hero-navy-leather]]

Oops here is the link! solebliss.com/products/hero-navy-leather

@blink1eight2

Vans have a wide toe box.

Do the surgery, I did and it's great!

My doctor said 60% things will be good and 40% be worse.

Were you told this?

Sorry, I don’t understand the statistic. Do you mean in 60% of cases after surgery, the feet will be better?

I wear barefoot brands too. I hadn't developed any real isssues with bunions but I did sometimes get pain from too-narrow shoes (which i didn't realise were too narrow).

@WellTidy

Sorry. Yes that is what I meant.

@WellTidy I have had both my bunions done on separate occasions. I had one done 7 years ago and one 5 years ago. Am happy to talk about whole thing. It was life changing as I could wear my docs again with comfort and walk miles without pain.

It was two weeks in a boot no weight bearing then four weeks in the boot but able to walk. I had local anaesthetic called a leg block so I could go home and my leg was completely numb for a day.

I am a teacher so I had mine done during the summer holidays. Putting the boot on at night to go to the loo was noisy so I moved into the spare room!

I have bunions on both feet, one is worse than the other, on top of this I have MN - Morton's neuroma in both feet so walking is literally a pain. But since I discovered Skechers I can walk without pain, they are bliss as they have memory sole. I buy the wide fit ones to accommodate the bunions. On the subject of bunion surgery, an osteopath I went to told me about minimally invasive bunion surgery, it sounded amazing ( I will try to find the details) she showed me her feet and they looked pretty good. I know she had to have screws in her feet, but can't remember if they stayed in or were removed.

Oh sorry OP I see you mentioned Skechers already - that was me rushing to reply without reading all the way to the end...

I have Doc Martin boots, Chelsea boots and brogues (all in either brown or tan) which I just rotate wearing depending on my trousers. Still not totally comfy with them when I'm in a skirt but do have a 'fake' pair of black ones to wear with opaque tights and shorter skirt sometimes, although I feel like a traffic warden/someone off The Bill.

Bunions are a complete nightmare. Apparently the op is really quick and not too bad recovery these days so maybe we should just get them done? (I can't actually stand the thought of having it, the idea makes me feel quite sick, I hate having my feet touched!)

Your leg is completely numb when you have them done. I had local so was awake throughout but had headphones in to listen to music. It meant I could go home quicker. I just love being pain free and years on they are still as straight as they were post op.

I do set off the alarms in every air port and always have to take my shoes off but that's another story!!!!!

Save up for Sole Bliss. The trainers and the heels are ace

The specialist site links look useful . Thank you

@190190tnt

I have bunions on both feet, one is worse than the other, on top of this I have MN - Morton's neuroma in both feet so walking is literally a pain. But since I discovered Skechers I can walk without pain, they are bliss as they have memory sole. I buy the wide fit ones to accommodate the bunions. On the subject of bunion surgery, an osteopath I went to told me about minimally invasive bunion surgery, it sounded amazing ( I will try to find the details) she showed me her feet and they looked pretty good. I know she had to have screws in her feet, but can't remember if they stayed in or were removed.

Which style sketchers do you wear? Do you buy a bigger size than normal?

This company sell shoes designed people with bunions. Most are the sort of thing my 91 year old mother in law would wear but there are the odd ones that look younger, they do one that looks like allbirds but cheaper (not cheap though)