Bunion Advice/experience

Sorry for your pain. My mom (now deceased) had horrible bunions. She had them surgically removed (back in the 80's) and spent at least a couple of weeks recovering. It was very painful. She said that the bunions were caused by working on her feet all day in retail wearing high heels. I suspect they are also hereditary, because my sister also has bunions, and although she did often wear high heels she never had a job that required her to be on her feet. My sisters aren't nearly as bad as my moms were, and I doubt she will ever need surgery, but she does need to wear good shoes.

Mine are without doubt the result of 1)physical predisposition... tapered toes and a big toe that (even before the bunion) tends to lean in) and 2) spending the bulk of my adolescence as a ballet dancer (dancing on point from ages 10-16).

Bunions don't come from rubbing in shoes, they come from your big toe being squeezed inward toward the little toes, thus opening the joint on the side of your foot. Focus less on what the shoe is doing right AT the bunion (although that's important too) and more on what's happening to your TOES.

My bunions are pretty bad (the one on my right foot especially), and if I don't take care of them daily, they cause me pain pretty much constantly.

HOWEVER, I've been advised NOT to have the surgery. Since the surgery is basically to break, shave, and realign the joint, the recovery is long, and often more painful than the condition itself. Also, I am dancing again, and am a teacher (on my feet all day) so being off my feet would really be an intrusion into my happiness.

Here's what helps me:

-get "yoga toes" (or CVS sells an excellent knock-off) which slip on your feet like pedicure toe separators and gently stretch and relax your feet. Wear them every evening on the couch.

-wear a toe spacer in your shoes

-Make sure your shoes are wide enough at the front of your foot.

-Stick with flats.

That combination has kept me pretty much pain free for months, and allowed me to dance again. Good luck.

Bunions are primarily hereditary. Both my mother and sister have them. Shoes just aggravate the underlying condition.

I have bunions and can't wear the real steep high heels. Most of the shoes I wear with a heel are more platform style so the toe doesn't absorb all the weight. I actually put duct tape around my bunions which really helps cushion it.

My Mom worked with someone who had horrible bunion trouble.
She was a short lady who constantly wore high heels with pointy toes (she couldn't stand flat - her Achilles tendons shortened) and she had to have several surgeries to straighten out her toes and keep them from overlapping.
It was very painful.
I read somewhere that some people have bunions not so much because of shoes but because of genetics.
I wear a lot of Birkenstock sandals and clogs and they are very good for my feet.
You need shoes that don't pinch your toes together and allow your toes to spread out.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Bunions

http://www.footsmart.com/general-foot-lower-body-care-avo...

Yep. A combination of genes and bad shoes. Cheap shoes and bad shoes are not synonymous. A pair of bad shoes can cost $100. A pair if cheap shoes can be wonderful. I have had two bunionectomies. I swore this scene is my last. I now wear cheap flats. I never wear the same shoes two days in a row because that way I do not cause the same friction area.