Buying running shoes for bunions: an updated list of recommendations

One of my most-viewed posts is one I did years ago about buying running shoes. This is a particularly hard task for runners who, like me, suffer from bunions. Since I wrote that post, new shoes have hit the market and new technologies are available to help us make the shoe choice, so here goes an update!

1. First and foremost, look for a wide toe box. The best new tool to help you find a shoe that fits nice and wide in the toe box is Shoefitr. It allows you to compare models, so if one model worked for you, you can find a similar fit in a different shoe. The technology is also used in shoe reviews; when I read Running Times' shoe reviews I always look for the nice "roomy" blue or green over the bunion area!

OUCH! This is the Adidas adiZero Aegis 2: super tight over the bunion! 

Brands that typically have wider toe boxes (please add comments to this - I'm always looking for truly wide toe boxes!):
- Brooks, especially Pure Project
- Saucony: consistently wider forefoot styles
- Mizuno: Some styles
2. Find a shoe with a mesh or soft fabric upper and minimal overlay at the bunion area. This is key. You want only material that can stretch and conform to your foot's shape over the bunion. Any stiff or non-stretchy fabric or plastic there will create prohibitive rigidity. There have been some fantastic additions to the market with flexible uppers with minimal overlay.

Altra Instinct: minimal overlay; the strip near the bunion doesn't cross over the foot so doesn't cause narrowing.

Karhu still makes some of the best shoes if you want no overlays: this is the  Flow trainer

The Hoka One One...it's debatable for many reasons but it does limit overlay in the bunion

Mizuno Evo Cursoris: wide open!

Even the Mizuno Wave Rider keeps the widest area of the toe box free from overlay

Saucony's type A isn't overlaid; it's printed.

The Saucony spectrum, if you don't want a racing flat

The Sketchers GOrun doesn't have overlay, but the stitching might pose a problem

Obviously there are plenty of other shoes out there to choose from and I'm not endorsing any of these shoes: just using them for demonstration.
3. Go for men's styles if you're a lady. I've been wearing a men's 8.5 for years now and it's the only way I can find a shoe wide enough. Just lace up all the way to make the ankles snug enough.
4. Try a larger size. Maybe you need to go up a half-size. As long as you are not over a thumb-nail length from the front of the shoe, you should be ok and it's worth a try for a wider fit. You can also wear a larger size, and lace it carefully for a better fit: leave the laces loose at the toe, so the shoe can conform to your foot, and tighten as you go up.

Tight to loose

5. Look for depth. Even shoes with wide toe boxes can be restrictive if they are not deep enough. After the 2012 Olympics, everyone wanted a pair of Nike Flyknits on their feet. Not me: look at how shallow that forefoot is! Deep shoes give you more wiggle room and more flexibility. Plus, although we tend to think of feet with bunions as just being wider, the bunion also extends down lower than the rest of your foot, so you need a deeper shoe (If you have bunions, look at the profile of your foot and notice how the first MTP joint extends lower than any other part of your foot).

Look how little depth at the toe! 

6. Buy the right kind of cushioning to protect your bunions. If you have bunions, chances are good that they either hit the ground first as you strike (mid or forefoot strike) or as you transition to toe-off (heel strike). Basically, you are running with the whole weight of your body on one joint! Ease the pressure with a well-cushioned shoe. In my experience, foam seems to be best for this, since your swollen joint can sink down into it: something it can't do in, say, a grid. A word of caution here regarding minimalist shoes: if you want to go zero drop, it's probably best to still buy a shoe with enough cushion. Otherwise, you are slamming an inflamed, painful joint into the ground over and over again with every run.
7. Consider a shoe that promotes a mid-foot strike. In my opinion, going from heel-to-toe is tougher on the bunion than going from mid-foot-to-toe. If you land on your mid-foot, yeah, your bunion probably still strikes first, but then the rest of your forefoot makes contact with the ground, providing a stable base to absorb impact and sharing the work of push-off. When you heel strike you transition from heel to forefoot (your larger bunion striking first, of course) then immediately toe off, putting the full force of that action on your bunion alone. Just a thought. Don't change your form lightly though!
8. Pick the right sock. Everyone's got their favorite sock, and my particular favorite is a lightly padded cotton sock. I don't want any thick terry cloth socks to add bulk to the bunion area!
9. Avoid shoes with pointed toes. The shape not only promotes bunion formation/continuation, it places undue stress on the bunion as you strike and toe-off. Plus, the pointier the toe, the larger a size you'll have to buy to accomodate your width, and going too large can create other problems like black toenails and blisters.

Altras with flat, broad toes.

In case you are wondering, I am currently wearing Saucony Kinvaras and Mizuno Mushas. Both fit my bunions well, although the Kinvaras always split over the area after about 500 miles. What shoe do you wear?

Buying running shoes for bunions

*Note: this post was updated here - click to read some newer thoughts and suggestions!*

Confession: I have revolting, ugly, weird feet. They are not even shaped like feet. I have long feet, high arches with a bony bump on top, with a super wide forefoot including bunions. There are bunions on either side, and the weirdest part is that the outer bunions (known as bunionettes) are lower down compared to the inner bunion. This is because clearly my pinky toe is evolving out.

Please note that my pinky toes appear to be affecting an escape.

So buying running shoes is a huge, huge challenge. It's hard enough to run with bunions, let alone find a shoe that fits! By now, though, I think I've got it. Here are my tips:
1. Find styles with wide toe boxes. Obviously. I find that Saucony and Brooks tend to have wider toe boxes, but New Balance has veered toward the narrow last unfortunately.

Notice how these Adidas are barely wider at the toe versus the heel - not good.

2. Choose shoes with mesh uppers and avoid support fabric along the bunion area. Really, you should avoid any overlay on the toe box, since you need the toe box to be able to completely mold itself to your weird foot. Here are a few good examples of shoes that do not have restrictive plastic or fabric near the bunion.

Saucony Kinvaras - Mesh overlay with minimal fabric support (and none over the bunion area)

Karhu flats with mesh toe

Saucony Triumph (men's) with some plastic and fabric support, but a lot of flexibility in the bunion area

Karhu Fast Ride with a perfectly mesh upper and just a small clear plastic strip around the toe for support.

And here are some examples of what not to wear.

Nike Lunar Eclipse with absolutely no flexibility near the bunion

Brooks Switch - although wide, there's plastic all around the toe box.

These Karhu's failed me: although the top is entirely mesh, the sides of the toe box have a support strip that doesn't let the mesh conform to the shape of my bunion.

3. Ladies, consider buying men's styles. They tend to have wider toe boxes. Of course you can also try wide sizes, but wides tend to have a lot of variability in size and structure, so try them on first. A men's shoe will have a larger toe proportionately.
4. Go up a half size and get longer laces. When you select a flexible mesh upper, you are allowing the shoe to conform a little to your foot. You might be able to go up a half size, then lace your shoes to allow for bunion room. In the example below, you can see I've left lots of slack in the laces near the toe, but pulled them tighter closer to the ankle. I find that with every run the shoes feels funny when I start, but molds to my foot as I run.

Loose at the toe, tight at the ankle

5. Go for depth. Take a look at the depth of the shoe from arch to sole. A deeper shoe, again, allows for more wiggle room.

Trail shoes (this one by Asic) are often deeper to accommodate bulkier socks.

6. Think about cushioning.A softer sole will let your bunion sink down without putting all the stress of landing on one joint (bunions cause the big toe joint to hit the ground before the rest of the forefoot). Therefore, you'll do better with foam cushioning compared to grid, wave, or gel. Just something to think about, of course. Not a hard and fast rule.
7. Consider a minimalist style. Shoes with large heel to toe differential guide you to a heel strike. When you heel strike, you firmly "heel-toe", so you push off hard with your toe. The problem is that if you have bunions, you will almost certainly push off with your metatarsophalangeal (MTP joint - where your big toe joins your foot) since it extends beneath the foot in its enlarged state. This will hurt and worsen your bunions. The Chi running style suggests landing midfoot and basically lifting your whole foot, rather than a push-off. I find this to be protective to the bunion area. A shoe with close to zero drop (Newtons, or many minimal styles) encourage this stride. But don't mess with your stride lightly. You can injure yourself in no time.

Newtons have a heel that is only slightly raised over the toe.

8. Buy skinny socks. This isn't a shoe tip, it's more like an "I give up tip". Still, slim fit, no terry socks just give you a few more millimeters width for your bunions.
9. Lastly, a shoe to avoid: Nike and Adidas both make shoes with "bunion windows" - little patches of telescoping rubber over the bunion area that are supposed to stretch out over the bunion. The problem is, they also shrink back as you move your foot - and the plastic can pinch. I bought a pair like this and I got blood blisters from them. Also they assume your bunion is in one exact place, and they don't consider bunionettes.

Vomeros with weird bunion thing