What are the Best Shoes to wear after Bunion Surgery?
What Shoes Can I Wear After Bunion Surgery?
If you have recently had a bunionectomy, you may be wondering what are good shoes to wear after bunion surgery. It may seem like there is a long road to recovery after surgery, but you can minimise the pain and discomfort by wearing the best shoes after bunion surgery.
These are our top tips to finding the best shoes after bunion surgery:
- Wear Supportive Shoes after Bunion Surgery
- Choose Leather Shoes after Bunion Surgery
- Look for Shoes with a Wide Toe Box
- Avoid High Heels
- Wear Shoes which prevent Bunion Re-Occurrence
Sprint Navy Leather - Best Shoes after Bunion Surgery
1. Wear Supportive Shoes after Bunion Surgery
The best shoes after bunion surgery will have substantial support for your entire foot, paying close attention to your big toe. Look for shoes which have a shock resistant sole. This kind of shock absorption is important because it reduces the impact of hitting your foot against the ground when you walk.
Good shoes after bunion surgery also have heel support and arch support. They will hold your foot in the correct position and improve your balance and posture. They will also help distribute pressure evenly across your foot and prevent straining your forefoot.
It is very important to wear supportive shoes after bunion surgery to decrease the chances of damaging your big toe joint and improve the motion of the joint.
2. Choose Leather Shoes after Bunion Surgery
After a bunionectomy, it is important to wear shoes which are made from a flexible material which can accommodate any swelling.
We would recommend wearing leather shoes after bunion surgery. Leather is soft, breathable, flexible, and durable. During the warmer months of the year, leather shoes will prevent your feet from rubbing too.
Shoes after bunion surgery need to be soft and you certainly do not want any rubbing across that big toe joint.
Hampton: Natural Snake - Leather Shoes for Bunion Surgery
3. Look for Shoes with a Wide Toe Box
The best shoes to wear after bunion surgery have a deep and wide toe-box. The toe-box is the area at the front of the shoe, where your inflamed big toe joint is. After a bunionectomy, you need to let your feet breathe. The best shoes after bunion surgery will not constrict your toes or put pressure on the big toe joint or rub in any way.
You may also want to look for shoes with a rounded toe-shape (rather than a pointed toe). Rounded toe-shapes are generally more accommodating and less likely to cause any discomfort around the bunion area.
4. Avoid High Heels
The best shoes after bunion surgery tend to be flat shoes or low heels. If you wear a very high heeled shoe after bunion surgery, you risk putting excessive pressure on the front of your foot and the recently operated big toe joint.
By wearing a lower shoe after bunion surgery, your weight is more evenly distributed across the foot and less likely to cause you any pain.
If you need to wear heeled shoes after bunion surgery, we would recommend avoiding any heels higher than 3 inches. Please follow this link to view our collection of comfortable mid heeled shoes to wear after bunion surgery and comfortable low heels.
If you are determined to wear high heels, as this may be one of the reasons why you decided to undergo the bunionectomy, then fear not! You will soon be able to wear high heels! You just need to wait a few months until your big toe joints has healed. Some surgeons advise that patients should wait at least six months before wearing high heels after bunion surgery. It is always advisable to contact your doctor for medical advice.
To view our collection of comfortable high heels, click here!
Ruby: Silver Leather - Heeled Shoes after Bunion Surgery
5. Wear Shoes which Prevent Bunion Re-Occurrence
The best shoes after bunion surgery will take into consideration the fact that you don’t want your bunions to grow back! Unfortunately not all bunion operations are successful and they can grow back. Bunion re-occurrence is common so to avoid this, look for shoes which prevent the formation of bunions.
The best shoes to prevent bunions after surgery will have a deep and wide toe-box and arch support. Shoes with arch support hold your foot in the correct position and prevent over-pronation. Pronation is the inward rolling of your foot as you walk, and this type of biomechanics is a key contributing factor to bunion formation.
Therefore we would recommend wearing practical shoes after bunion surgery so that you can keep your feet looking the way you want them to!
Trinity: Bronze Leather - Recovery Shoes for Bunions
How Long After Bunion Surgery Can I Wear Normal Shoes?
The recovery period after bunion surgery can vary between individuals. You may have your stitches removed after a couple of weeks. The average patient may spend approximately six weeks wearing a post-operative shoe or using crutches. It is really important to not walk around the house barefoot during this time.
After this approximate 6-week period of wearing a post-operative shoe, you should be able to wear normal shoes again, including trainers (we would not recommend wearing heels just yet). Some patients will be able to wear dress shoes after ten weeks. Others may take longer. There is no need to worry if your recovery time is slower than other people. Bunion surgery can take up to a year to fully recover from.
If you want to read more about the alternatives to bunion surgery, click here: 10 Best Ways to Treat Bunions without Surgery.
Sprint: Gray & Silver - Best Tennis Shoes after Bunion Surgery
Will My Shoe Size Change After Bunion Surgery?
It is unlikely that your shoe size will change after bunion surgery. If your bunions were very large, you may have been buying shoes which are larger than your usual size, just so that they could accommodate the bunion area. If this sounds like you, then remember to size down to the shoe size you used to buy before your bunions started to grow!
All Sole Bliss shoes are designed with a deep and wide toe-box and a stretch panel to accommodate bunions. We have ensured that your feet have plenty of space across the front of the shoe, whilst fitting neatly at the back. You don't need to size up to accommodate your bunions or wide feet! Read more about How Our Shoes Work here.
Luna: Camel & Black Leather - Ballet Flats after Bunion Surgery
To Summarize…
It is very important to wear comfortable, supportive recovery shoes after bunion surgery. It may seem like a long road to recovery but with the right footwear, you can keep your feet happy and pain-free!
To discover our full collection of bunion-friendly shoes and shoes after bunion surgery, click here.
