r/bunions

Hi I’ve noticed recently my pinky toe on my right foot has been getting what appears to be a tailors bunion but on the inside of the toe. I can’t find any pictures or reports of a bunion growing inside the actual toe and am curious if it’s from wearing small boxed shoes as I do work on my feet all day. I was wondering if anyone has seen something like this before.(I included a picture of the other foot for comparison)

Has anyone bought and used one of the two-direction (length and width) shoe stretchers that has little attachments for bunions (like this?) How has it gone? I was going to take some leather shoes that need targeted stretching in certain spots to a shoemaker, but in general I'm frugal and also just enjoy DIY when I can, so if I can buy a shoe stretcher and do the same thing on my own (and use it for other pairs in the future, too), I'd rather do that.

To head off some comments:

-I've used other methods to try to stretch shoes but they don't work super well for me (and in the case of using shoe stretch liquid and then walking around: it's also just not comfortable to walk around in the tight shoes for so long)

-I also just have difficult feet, so finding shoes that fit without *any* tinkering is rare

I've had my right bunion since I was a kid. Used to give me pain in my foot and knee and hip when I was growing.

At about 34 years, my left foot started to develop a bunion too.

As an adult I got used to a low level of soreness all the time, plus quite severe Morton's neuroma, and at 36 I was booked in for surgery. Unfortunately due to the nurse's strike (UK), it was cancelled. I didn't rebook.

I decided to see a podiatrist instead who told me

- I don't need surgery, we can manage this conservatively

- I need special insoles (which he made for my feet)

- I should be wearing shoes with zero drop and a wide toe box

- I was actually wearing shoes a size too small (for my whole adult life)

So I came away feeling really positive, sold/chucked out all my old shoes and bought footwear of the right size and with a wide toe box. I got the insoles made and now the pressure in my feet is distributed a little better. I also wear a toe spreader to help with the Mortons neuroma. I still can't walk bare foot at all, but mostly all is good.

I still have a bad Morton's neuroma but minimal pain in my bunions, have good flexibility and can run and do sports! I do still get a bit sore but I live with it alright. Barefoot is not an option.

The only thing that is just a bit of a shame is finding shoes I like that fit (my feet are extremely narrow and then super wide at the bunion), but that's not the end of the world really.

I often read that bunions get worse with age, pain increases and surgery is inevitable - and better to do when younger. So should I consider this now? I'm 38/F.

Although things are managed now, I don't want to put myself in a worse situation later in life.

I've obviously had conversations with medical professionals but I'm looking for your opinions and anecdotal advice based on your experiences.

Thank you!

hi everyone - 32M

noticed that over past few years that my toes, especially right one start to deform - i do not want to have massive deformation like my parents/grandparents do and was wondering if anyone could advice anything that could stop this from going on further?

- wear wider shoes?

- socks with separate toes sections?

- shoes with separate toes sections, like viva barefoot shoes?

- i've been wearing silicone toe separators with a sleeve on a big toe and it is the only one that lasts at least 3-4weeks and actually stabilises my toe and doesnt give that much discomfort whilst wearing shoes

i know it isnt SEVERE bunion - im trying to prevent it as my big toe joint starts to hurt sometimes as well

attaching some images of my current situation. thank you

Hi all,

I had hammertoe surgery on my right foot (along with other foot surgeries) 6 weeks ago and this morning I had the K wires removed. I was so excited to finally walk and drive that I went for a drive two hours after having the pins removed. However, while I was driving I felt a spasm in one of the toes. When I got home and removed the bandage I noticed my second toe was no longer straight and looks slightly bent. Almost like it’s slipping back into the hammertoe position. I have pictures for reference. First pic is right after I had the K wires removed and second pic is after removing bandages at home and noticing my toe. I called my doctor immediately and sent him picture, he said he’s “not concerned”?!?! Like wdym “not concerned”? The middle joint is supposed to be fused, this cant be normal. Has anyone else experienced this?

This is a pic of my very painful Taylor’s Bunion. I’m 71 and have had it for quite some time. Kinda runs in my family.
In a couple of weeks I’ll have an appt with a foot and ankle surgeon for another issue with this left foot. I have a heel cyst that is my main concern. I thought I had plantar fasciitis all the time so I didn’t really mention it,
but the Podiatrist had me do an MRI and found out it was a cyst.
Anyway, I’m going to ask about doing both surgeries at the same time-possibly just scraping down the Taylor’s Bunion. I will be down anyway so I figure why not? What do you think? I’m a little worried about both actually.
Thanks so much!!

I've had this bunion all my life. Over the past few years, I've just . . . noticed it more. So I'm considering a bunionectomy.

The scar you see is from when I had to remove a neuroma. That was life changing.

The bunion, however, isn't as bad as the neuroma was. Sometimes it's painful, and sometimes it's not. This is nothing as severe as some of the bunions I've seen around here, so I'm considering not getting the surgery because I don't know that the whole process is worth it for a mild bunion.

Doctor will do the surgery, but also he notes that people (including him) have gone their entire lives with them.

Just trying to get some insight here.

Hello, my partner says I have bunions and need to speak to my doctor. I don’t have foot pain but I can see my feet aren’t even. Do you think I to see a podiatrist?

I’ve had several foot surgeries on my right foot. Had a tailors bunion-was not big at all but became painful when I got a peloton during the beginning on 2020. First surgery they said 5-6 week recovery- long story short here we are 6 years later and still in pain. First surgery my body rejected internal and external sutures and then wound dehisced and got infected. Was a long process to heal.. even after it healed I always had pain kind of like I was stepping on a nail on the bottom of my foot-for reference, the plate and screws were on the top of my foot to hold the bones together- I guess they have to break the bones and shave them down on the side of my foot to align them to fix the bunion. So I was feeling the screws that went from the top of my foot to the bottom- one was too long. Kept bruising and swelling. Haven’t worn actual closed toe shoes in 6 years and I live in a place that is a cold climate for 4 months out of the year. About a year and a half after I tried to fight the pain I went to another doctor. He advised bone wasn’t aligned properly so needed to re do the whole thing again. So we did. Then it healed much better and no problems with wound this time- also on the first surgery it turns out I was allergic to both internal and external sutures- so they used a different kind. I did physical therapy for about 10 weeks on both of those surgeries trying to regain flexibility and break down scar tissue and help with nerve pain. Physical therapy was great for the first two issues but my nerve pain was the issue holding me back from wearing regular shoes, as the nerve that was irritated is directly on the side of my foot through the top where shoes put pressure on directly-so I have been wearing sandals that have a cut out in the direct area. Still have nerve pain even with that, but was hopeful that after a while it would go away. Well, it never did. I also tried to do dry, needling, and other techniques to help with nerve pain. I had previously before the surgeries been on a nerve medication for another issue and it made me feel terrible so I didn’t want to take nerve medication again. Finally got sent to a pain doctor three weeks ago. he immediately said I believe it’s the hardware giving you issues. You should get the hardware out rather than doing nerve pain medication. He was very thorough and could describe every single pain I was going through before I even told him it gave me a lot of hope reading other posts on Reddit of people in my situation- they mentioned that once their wounds healed they felt immensely better. I am a super active person so being crippled for the last six years-not being able to wear shoes or be on my feet for more than a few minutes without pain was killing my mental and physical. Anyways, I started this post because today I had surgery- hopefully my last-to remove the hardware and any extra scar tissue. I’m very happy with the care I received from all doctors and staff at this location and will update this post or comment below as it heals and what pain or lack of pain I feel I’m just really hoping it was the hardware, causing all these issues and now I can look forward to walking again.

Hi everyone,

I found this subreddit really helpful when I was deciding whether to go through with surgery.

I’m currently about 3 weeks post-op from my second surgery.

I had MIS bunion and bunionette surgery on both feet. My left foot is 9 weeks post-op, and my right foot is 3 weeks post-op. I finally got the stitches out!

These are my before and after so far.

I’m 26M.

Ask me anything!

Both photos are with the foot standing in the floor.

before -> may 2026
after -> august 2026

You will not correct your feet unless your whole body is working in harmony.

I tried several times toe spacers, bunion fixers, toe specific exercises, etc. With no results. It was until I linked the dots between my bad postures (when sitting, standing, walking and even sleeping) and muscular imbalances (my right glute it was basically nonexistent).

One of the main changes that I suggest if you really want to progress its about your shoes. Your feet are actively working almost all the time that your awake so a shoe that allows a correct position of your feet will be contributing to the strengthen and alignment. You can start with a flat sandals to get around your house but you should get a barefoot shoes for your every day activities. I started using barefoot shoes around 13-15 months ago but I fully committed to the barefoot shoes like 3 months ago.

Toe spacers and bunion fixers I think are better to wear only when your are working out (For working out focus on single leg exercises) or at least walking. Wearing it when you are resting it will just cause pain and in my case I saw no benefit.

Hi guys first time user here, I went to a podiatrist and he stated that I should get the surgery for my bunions now since I'm young(19) and it will be easier for me to recover and not have to worry about doing it when I may have a family or have a work schedule that's harder to get time off- i plan to go into the medical field. Thoughts? Should I do the surgery. I'm not in severe pain and its not 24/7 but it can make it hard to work 12 hr shifts.

Six weeks post op. Incision isnt healing as well as it should be. I miss my bunions....i actually love them!