Hiking with bunions

[jenkscolin]

Anyone have any advice on footwear and/or other tips and tricks for hiking with bunions? My girlfriend has large ones on both feet and her current ahnu boots are not working out. Any advice would be appreciated thanks.

[Voshkm]

get a new girlfriend without bunyons? Pedicure? foot soaks?

[scottaskinger]

get a new girlfriend without bunyons

Very Nice!

[Tory Wells]

I recommend not hiking with those....too many carbs.

[scottaskinger]

Only advice I have is to keep trying different boots with a larger toe box or go the custom route. Also, I use large gel pads from Bunga in my hockey skates and if I'm starting to get hot spots while hiking. They work great for me, maybe something to look at: http://www.bungapads.com/bunga-gel-disc-gd.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The large 4" disc seems massive at first but might be perfect to wrap around the bunion and tape in place.

Good Luck!
Scott

[powhound]

There is a boot stretching device made by Foot Fitter that I bought online. It has predrilled holes where you insert rounded plugs to line up where your bunion is. Turn the crank handle and it spreads outward, stretching it out. I've also drilled my own hole when the predrilled ones didn't line up exactly where I needed. At $45 it's more expensive than going to a cobbler, but it's something you now own and can use it on all your shoes and stretch them gradually as needed. Very convenient as I notice my boots seem to shrink back a bit after a good soaking or applying leather conditioner.

[81trucolors]

I don't have bunyons but I do have wide feet. Along the lines of what powhound mentioned there are a few devices stretch a boot/shoe. Google Spot Shoe stretcher.

[paul109876]

Has she seen a podiatrist? My wife thought she had bunions " large knots on the knuckle of her big toes" and it turned out to be a type of osteoarthritis. Over the last year she has had surgery on both feet to clean this up and is now back to working out and will be doing some hiking next month.

Shoes were a huge issue. Nothing seemed to be foot friendly other than flip/flops. Or a type of mesh upper like you see on light weight running shoes.

[workmanflock]

I've got massive big toe problems and recently added a permanently dislocated toe to the mix. Look at Lowa Renegade GTX's. They are light weight and come in wide sizes. According to my Excel spreadsheet I've got 697 miles in my current pair and expect to get another 200 or so in before they fall apart.

Also, I'd say don't go to a podiatrist. I've been to 2 podiatrists and 3 orthopedic surgeons for foot problems. The podiatrists all suggested surgery whereas the orthopedic doctors said the exact opposite. Podiatrists will advocate surgery without telling you about all the possible accompanying risks - permanent pain, inability to hike, etc. I'd suggest she manage the pain as best she can and when she can't she should go to an orthopedic surgeon. There's one in Vail that does surgery on professional athletes and takes most insurance. http://thesteadmanclinic.com/dr-thomas-clanton.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jon Frohlich]

I've been dealing with tailor's bunions (on the little toe instead) for a number of years. Wide boots and shoes have solved the issue for me. Asolo makes some of their boots in wide sizes and that's what I've been wearing for the last few years. The surgery route is the last resort and I refuse to do it unless it's absolutely necessary.

[jenkscolin]

Thanks so much for all the advice! We will definitely look into new boots/shoes. She wants to avoid surgery for sure but if worse comes to worse the steadman clinic is top notch so we will check that out. Again, thanks for the responses.

[martinleroux]

Everyone's situation is different, but if a bunion's left untreated there's the risk of additional problems like arthritis, sesamoiditis or even dislocation, as mentioned above. And if surgery becomes unavoidable then it might have to be a more invasive procedure with greater risks and a longer recovery time.

I had bunion surgery (chevron osteotomy) in mid-April. Boot fitting had been a problem for some time but what tipped the balance was that activities like running and climbing were becoming increasingly painful. The first couple of days after surgery were pretty rough, but I was back to work after 4 days (desk job), hiking and skiing after 2 months, and running and climbing after 3 months. Just got back from a week climbing in the Bugaboos without any issues.