blackrhino2

Hi all,
My foot has been hurting so I recently went to the podiatrist and he said I had a bunion. He seemed to say that the only real treatment is a surgery with a minimum of an 8 week recovery. I'm certainly going to get a 2nd opinion, but wanted to know if any of you had any advice--or knew anything that works besides surgery!

I'm currently icing it a few times a week which feels great. I'm also only wearing supportive shoes. It has gotten better, but still can't jog without it hurting.

Thank you in advance for any comments/suggestions you may have!

RunbikeSki

Yup I have bunions, and nope, I wouldn't even think about surgery.

The worst enemy for a bunion is tight shoes. So I look for shoes with wide toeboxes or shoes that do not have a strap across the base of the toes that would irritate the bunion. Sometimes that means I just can't wear the latest styles, but at my age and stage, that's hardly a huge problem.

The trickiest shoes to find are running or cross trainers. They need to have a wide toebox, but a narrow heel so that the heel fits snuggly and doesn't lift causing blister on the back of the foot. Fortunately there are a number of manufacturers that are aware of the problem and make great shoes for people with our kind of feet.

BR, see what the 2nd opinion says, but this may be a minor problem that you can learn to work around.

Good luck

blackrhino2

RunBikeSki,
I am happy to hear that you have been living with them for a while and that they haven't gotten worse even though you are very active. Right now the only pair of shoes I own that are super comfortable to wear, and hence I wear them when working out, are my Chacos. They have really high arches that seem to take the pressure off of my big toe area.

Thank you for your suggestions. What brands have you found that cater to people with bunions?

Thanks again
Julia

moniquesnoek

Hi There,
I have had bunions and got them operated on a few years back. I couldn't walk for more then 40 minutes let a lone run/jog etc. Yes it takes 8 weeks recovery. It was the right thing for me to do at the time however I have recently gone to an acupuncturist for feet problems (sprained ankle and planter fasciitis) and she was so sad that I had, had the surgery, she really felt that she could have helped with them. So you could try chinese medicine and acupuncture.
I agree with the other person too. Great shoes are fantastic. Here in New Zealand I have found New Balance 767 Acteva Nlock to be good. Hope that helps.
Monique :-)

RunbikeSki

Hi again Julia and howdy Monique,
New Balances are often really great shoes - I've had several pairs over the years including the 767s. At the moment I am wearing Nike Zoom Vomero4 and really loving them.

What I do is spend a lot of time reading reviews. I have learned to trust the buyers at Road Runner Sports. I look specifically for review that mention the toe box and the heel - you will be surprised how many do. The down side is that it is rare that I can find shoes on sale. And usually the shoe that fits is at the upper end of the price range.

The second thing is that if they don't feel great right out of the box, send them right back. They will never "break-in".

For work I often wear clogs with soft soles if I am going to be on my feet a lot. I don't find true flats very comfortable, and my poor feet can't really take a heel higher than 2" for very long. Like athletic shoes, if they don't feel great when I first put them on, they don't end up in my closet unless there is some sort of special occassion. Again, the down side is that I can't really wear cheap shoes. But I've found good shoes last for years and years so I shop for the classic styles.

At the moment my biggest dilema is good hiking boots... still looking.

I suggest that you give your feet time to heal. Wear your chacos (I love my Tevas for the same reason you find your chacos so comfortable) for a little while longer while you do the research.

Good luck, if you take care of your feet you should be able to avoid surgery - but if you need to go that direction, get the best podiatrist you can find.

Pam

jt1blades

Hi Julia
I too, have bunions (yes, plural, one on each foot) and the podiatrist told me the same thing. That was about 8 years ago. I opted not to have surgery, but instead used moleskin to cushion my bunions when I was inline skating. While I still have bunions today, they don't seem to bother me when I skate. Definitely seek a second opinion.
Hope that was useful info.
Jackie

blackrhino2

Yes, all of the responses have been very helpful for me to read. I am going to look into buying a pair of sneakers that I can workout in--other than my chacos! I'll also buy some moleskin to cushion my toes in my current foot. I may also look into orthodics.

At the moment I'm not even considering the surgery anymore since the pain has subsided by icing and wearing shoes with high arches.

Thank you all so much for you personal input!
-Julia

SkinnyErinn

I have bunions on both feet and last week I found Dr. Scholl's Bunion Protectors. They were really cheap (like $4 at Walmart) for two, reusable gel cushions that go over the big toe. They are SOOOO comfy, haven't had a single pain since.

blackrhino2

oooooh, thanks Erinn! I'll have to check that out.

tjkhoover

Also, there is some taping you can do to help separate your toes and/or bunion cushions. But, I agree with everyone else about the shoes being wide enough.