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[anthroid]

Who else among us has a bunion?  I seem to have one at the base of my left big toe (and my big toe is beginning to move toward my second toe...) and it's really annoying.  Sometimes it hurts so much that it's difficult to walk, and then the pain goes away for months at a time (and the bottom of my toe stops swelling).  I also am finding that I have to start buying wide-width shoes.  I don't wear high heels and don't quite know how it is that I managed to grow one of these suckers.  Does anyone have any experience with bunions and what to do about them?

[helpful]

Go to a foot specialist. There is surgery, but I am fearful of that!

By the way, I always thought they were called Bunyans, after Paul!

[anthroid]

I don't think I'm at the point of needing surgery yet (I hope).  If I had to put a number to it, I'd say that I'm in pain a few days every eight weeks or so.  Someone very kindly PMed me with some alternatives which I am absolutely going to check out if I can figure out where to get the products!

I also note that I worked out for the first time in months yesterday and the pain is gone. 

Tell me more, interested forumites!

[titian]

My understanding has been that genetics can be a big factor in whether you develop bunions.  I've known men who have them who definitely never wore high heels (unless they had some hidden hobbies that I didn't know about). I get the FootSmart catalog regularly, and they have some items that might help.  http://www.footsmart.com/C-Bunions-47.aspx

[collegekidsmom]

Ugh. I am one of three bunion sisters. One is glamorous and wore high heels a lot. She has medium bad bunions on both feet; they look strange but she can fun fast and wear any kind of shoes. Other sister wore high heels, but more office type attire, and had to have the surgery on both feet. Her feet were so painful and she was pretty young when she had to have the surgery. It was not easy, and she was fairly incapacitated for a while. Me, I am the one with the NAOT sandal type good for you shoes, never high heels because I am tall, and I have one bunion. Clearly, to have all three different types of sisters with bunions, must be something genetic. However, Mom has perfect feet.

I can live with my bunion, but I don't like it.

[grasshopper]

However, Mom has perfect feet.

It can skip a generation.

I wouldn't worry about it unless it gives you pain. But don't just look at your feet. Be aware of knee, hip, and back pain, too. Sometimes, people with bunions will change the way they walk, and put pressure on their other joints.

Those little toe separators that you get for pedicures help relieve some of the pressure the bunion puts on the nerve, if you only have intermittent pain.

[helpful]

I have pain after intense exercise. Anything I can do about that other than stop exercising?

[keineidee]

Well, I don't run any more because of mine - right side is worse than left, and I always notice it during yoga. I had a doc give me orthotics and recommend surgery where they'd break the long bone in my toe and move things around.  That seemed drastic, so, instead, I have become a devoted Dansko wearer. This mostly works, though it does still bother me at times.

Helpful, what bothers you the most? Other than from running, I find I sometimes have trouble from weight-lifting. Maybe you can find a way to work out that doesn't put a lot of direct pressure on your feet?

[msparticularity]

I don't have bunions, but thanks to my arthritis my feet suffer from a variety of rather similar complaints. One problem with almost all convention shoes is the way they shape the toes. For someone with great, healthy feet this might not be a problem, but for me--and perhaps for those of you with bunions--shoes that help to maintain better joint alignment and that also provide good support for ligaments and tendons are REALLY important. I realize I'm shilling for Birkenstocks again, but they and Earth shoes seem to do the best job of not putting pressure on toes, and the Birks actively support toe alignment. Also, the Birk styles have gotten more attractive over the years, despite what The Manolo says. I wear these in winter and these in summer, for example.

[fourhats]

I had bunion surgery several years ago because my foot was painful, and I could no longer wear the majority of my shoes--not just the dressy type--and it hurt when I walked.  Now the other foot needs doing (it's even uncomfortable when I'm in bed), and I hesitate not because of fear of surgery, but because it took a full YEAR for the swelling to go completely down after the surgery!  Meaning that for a year I could not even fit into my tennis shoes.  But after that, I was really happy I'd done it.

Others I know who had the surgery found the same thing.  They opted to have it done in the fall, so that they could spend the winter wearing soft boots that went with everything.

[anthroid]

Thanks, everyone!  I guess I'm in better shape than I thought...when it hurts, it hurts very much, but it doesn't hurt most of the time.  So with luck I can stave off surgery.  And I can wear most shoes, though I much prefer sandals.  It's hard to buy shoes though.  Is there some website around where I could buy a wide width for my left foot and a regular width for my right? 

I'm going to get the gel toe thingy today.  I think that could be very helpful.  I appreciate everyone's responses here.

[grasshopper]

Thanks, everyone!  I guess I'm in better shape than I thought...when it hurts, it hurts very much, but it doesn't hurt most of the time.  So with luck I can stave off surgery.  And I can wear most shoes, though I much prefer sandals.  It's hard to buy shoes though.  Is there some website around where I could buy a wide width for my left foot and a regular width for my right? 

I'm going to get the gel toe thingy today.  I think that could be very helpful.  I appreciate everyone's responses here.

This is just a guess, because I'm not a doctor and I haven't seen your feet, but it sounds like every once in a while, the nerve that runs outside that bone is getting pressure. Maybe because of bunion inflammation. Maybe because of a particular type of shoe you've worn which makes you walk in a particular way. Maybe because of some activity. Who knows? But sporadic pain makes me think nerve pressure.

One way to relieve that pressure is to open up the big toe. I'm telling you: toe separators. You can get them at the drug store, in the nail care section, for about $2. Or just stick a wadded up facecloth in there. It won't cure the problem (it won't, for instance, "train" your toe to stay in its proper position), but it should reduce the pain. 

[helpful]

Helpful, what bothers you the most? Other than from running, I find I sometimes have trouble from weight-lifting. Maybe you can find a way to work out that doesn't put a lot of direct pressure on your feet?

Tennis, and bicycling in clip shoes.

[anthroid]

Thanks, everyone!  I guess I'm in better shape than I thought...when it hurts, it hurts very much, but it doesn't hurt most of the time.  So with luck I can stave off surgery.  And I can wear most shoes, though I much prefer sandals.  It's hard to buy shoes though.  Is there some website around where I could buy a wide width for my left foot and a regular width for my right? 

I'm going to get the gel toe thingy today.  I think that could be very helpful.  I appreciate everyone's responses here.

This is just a guess, because I'm not a doctor and I haven't seen your feet, but it sounds like every once in a while, the nerve that runs outside that bone is getting pressure. Maybe because of bunion inflammation. Maybe because of a particular type of shoe you've worn which makes you walk in a particular way. Maybe because of some activity. Who knows? But sporadic pain makes me think nerve pressure.

One way to relieve that pressure is to open up the big toe. I'm telling you: toe separators. You can get them at the drug store, in the nail care section, for about $2. Or just stick a wadded up facecloth in there. It won't cure the problem (it won't, for instance, "train" your toe to stay in its proper position), but it should reduce the pain. 

Yes, m'am!

[wildwest]

I have terrible bunions and have had them since high school (I'm now almost 40).  I almost had the surgery before college, but chickened out.

Get yourself to a good podiatrist for some orthotics--which will run you from $200 to $400.  The podiatrist can also "build up" any sandals that won't accommodate the inserts.  (I pay $30 per pair of sandals--so that I can still wear the sexy, strappy ones in the summer).  I'm still able to do ballroom dancing, sports, etc.

Get used to wearing wide shoes.  I wear double-wide (2E)!  Check out Munros.  They are expensive but made in America and last forever.

Actually--I go to a podiatrist who isn't actually a podiatrist/surgeon--I forget the exact name (it's like the difference between an optometrist and an opthomoligist).  In other words, you want someone who isn't all gung-ho to do surgery.

I've been doing okay.  My feet do hurt in April and October--don't know why that is.  Perhaps something with the weather/jet stream changing.