Shoes after bunion surgery - Foot Problems Message Board

rainabow · 06-11-2007, 07:30 PM

I'm going for a distal chevron osteotomy on Wednesday to remove bilateral bunions. This is thinking pretty far off in the future, but I was just wondering what kinds of shoes I should be wearing when the time comes. My guess is that the safest option is a very soft gym shoe with lots of support, but that sounds hot and uncomfortable, especially since my feet tend to swell slightly when it's hot outside (on top of the swelling I already anticipate having). Could I wear a t-strap thong sandal or flip flops instead? Also, do my sneakers have to be the clownish athletic type, or would something like pumas or adidas be okay too? Do I have to go up a size or get a wide width? I don't plan on getting any new shoes until I can try them on, but I want to narrow down my options so I know where I should be shopping and what I should be looking for.

Also, around when could I look forward to getting back into a ballet flat or a soft leather oxford type shoe (with my orthotics)? I am obsessed with shoes and it scares me that I might not be able to wear them for a year!

KathJack · 06-11-2007, 10:14 PM

I was able to start wearing shoes two weeks after my double bunionectomy and hammertoe correction surgery (Surgical sandals until then). My doctor wanted me to start out in gym shoes; he didn't seem to care much what kind except that I shouldn't try to buy them ahead of time. I had to buy really wide ones to accomodate the swelling. I chose fairly supportive ones, but I was able to find them in plain white. I doubt that you will be advised to spend a lot of time in flip flops too soon. By eight weeks I was able to wear SOME of my "regular" shoes including a good pair of sandals with adjustable straps. One reason I didn't even want to go around in open toe shoes right away is in case someone stepped on my toes. Ouch! In order not to have to wear white gym shoes everywhere, after a few weeks I got a cheap pair of Dr. Scholl wide black tie up shoes. Certainly not fashionable, but inobtrusive with nice black pants which I could dress up with colorful tops. I could wear some feminine (flat) shoes by three months and everything in my closet by six months. (Actually all my shoes were pretty flat since that's all I'd been able to wear for years.) At that point I went shopping-- It was exciting to be able to get fun new shoes. Hope it goes well for you.

rainabow · 06-11-2007, 10:34 PM

Thanks for the tips, Kath. I have a really hard time finding wide width shoes in my size (5.5-6) so that's why I'm a bit concerned about this. Even Zappos only seems to carry dance shoes in my size. Grr. Your experience sounds really great though. I hope mine goes just as well as yours did.

jonsgirl327 · 06-11-2007, 11:10 PM

I was in a tennis shoe about 2 weeks after my austin bunionectomy. I had to go up a full size in order to fit with the swelling. About 2 months later I bought new shoes a 1/2 size down and they fit great now. I am 5 months post op. I am slowly getting into flip flops...I love em! But I cant wear them for long because I have a low arch. I bought dansko's and they were the best purchase I have ever made!!! I love those shoes and they have a great arch in them for me. I can wear them all day and my feet wont hurt at the end of the day. They are a little tight because of the swelling I still have but they are great to wear.

Zardtoe · 06-12-2007, 06:32 AM

I'm 4 months out from my chevron bunionectomy and still can't wear any closed-toed shoes due to some weird nerve thing - it's getting better over time, but the main watchword is that you just won't know what you can do, shoe-wise, until you're in the recovery process. I'm loving flipflops and Danskos (even my Dansko clogs are working - the only closed-toe that I can do - probably because the toe box is so big), and pretty summer sandals are very workable now - yay! Good luck!
-Zard