The Best Women’s Sandals and Sneakers for Bunions, According to Podiatrists
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I have bunions and got custom orthotics to help relieve pressure on the bumps and generally providemore supportfor myfeet. Although I’m supposed to wear them with my shoes whenever possible, I just don’t, mostly because I usually work from home and I’m honestly too lazy to put them in when I do go out. I’m trying to be better about wearing them but am also always looking forshoesthat areinherently supportive, since not all shoes can accommodate inserts. To help me make better footwear choices for my feet, I reached out to three podiatrists about how to choose the best sandals and sneakers for bunions.
Bunions, which form when the big toe joint shifts out of alignment, can be painful, first from shoes rubbing on the bumps, then later from arthritis within the joint. Wearing the right shoes can help. “Because the underlying cause of a bunion is an unstable or weak foot posture,” saysDr. Michael Trepal, dean and vice-president for academic affairs and professor of surgery at New York College of Podiatric Medicine at Touro University, “you should look for shoes that offer some arch support, and the heel part, or counter, should also be sturdy and reasonably rigid.”
While a wider toe box can help with toe crowding, simply going up a size or springing for awider widthisn’t always the answer, saysDr. Scott Melamed(full disclosure: He is my podiatrist). “With bunions, your foot isn’t wide. It’s more of what’s called a splay foot,” he says. “If you just go wide or bigger, you bought the front of your feet room, but your heel is misbehaving. In the long term, the joint will continue to change. There has to be just a little forgiveness up front and a little bit of stability in the back.” That doesn’t mean you can’t wear the occasional ballet flat or four-inch-high heel if you have bunions. “Just don’twalkaround Central Park in them,” he says. Below are recommendations for the best sandals and sneakers for bunions from both Melamed andDr. Irina Abramova, a podiatrist at Step Up Footcare in Tribeca, as well as a few of my personal favorites that I’ve landed on through a lot of trial and error.
The best sandals for bunions
For the most part, you can’t put custom orthotics insandals, so you should choose ones with a wider toe box and soft and wide adjustable straps. These features will “reduce toe cramming and prevent rubbing of the bony prominence,” according to Abramova. And the ideal heel height is about one inch or lower to reduce forefoot pressure. “If the height of the heel is higher, look for a wider toe box and a wedge or stable platform to avoid pushing body weight forward,” she says. Abramova also recommends sandals that are made with a soft or stretchy material and a structured arch support to prevent ankle rolling. As Melamed puts it: “People with bunions love open-toe season because there’s no pressing or rubbing on the bump anymore, but you still need to compensate for the lack of inherent support in a sandal.”
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Teva Women’s Tirra Sport Sandal
One of Abramova’s favorite sandals for bunions are the Teva Tirras,which Chloë Sevigny owns herself. “These have adjustable straps and don’t have the plastic ring medially where the bunion bump sticks out,” she says.
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Teva Verra Sandal
Abramova also likes this style from Teva for the same reasons.
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For people with mobility issues, or anyone who needs the extra convenience, Abramova likes this hands-free option that you can slip right into without bending down.
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I started testing these sandals earlier this summer and they’ve been great for my bunions. They have an adjustable toe strap that doesn’t rub on the prominence and an extremely supportive sole with arch support and a stable heel cup. I only wish that the heel strap were also adjustable for a more customizable fit.
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Melamed generally finds Birkenstocks to be good for bunions but cautions that they could betoorigid and supportive in the arch for some people. For me, the arch support feels good, even though it is admittedly prominent. The Gizehs are myeveryday summer sandals. The thong style works especially well for my feet because my bunions are unconstrained, and the toe box is wide enough to comfortably cradle them. My heels are also stable. (The classic two-strap Arizonas, on the other hand, don’t work for me because the front strap bothers my bunions while simultaneously being too loose for my feet.)
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Naot is one of Melamed’s favorite brands. In fact, it is the first orthopedic shoe I bought on his recommendation (a pair of boots) when I first started going to his practice over a decade ago. “They’re not only supportive, they’re well made and orthotic-friendly,” he says. He stands by Naot’s sandals, too, even without orthotics. “If someone is in these in the summer when it’s 95 degrees, we’re in good shape,” he says. I have been testing the Kayla sandals for about a year and love how soft the leather straps are and how cushioned the cork-and-latex footbed feels. (The Birkenstock footbed, as supportive as it is, is very hard compared to Naot’s.) It also comes in over 30 colorways.
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Keen Women’s Newport H2
Keen’s water-sandal-hiking hybrid shoes are apersonal favoriteas well. The toe box is roomy, the sole is thick and supportive, and the bungee laces ensure an adjustable fit. I can take these to the beach, mountains, and city streets and walk comfortably for hours in all scenarios.
The best sneakers for bunions
Running and athletic sneakers
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I ran a half-marathon earlier this year and wore a bunch of different shoes during my training. My longtime favorites are the Ghost sneakers from Brooks. I wore an earlier version of these for a couple of years as my regular running shoes and found them to be comfortable and durable. I would get a half- to a whole-size bigger to accommodate swelling and also my orthotics, though Melamed says newer orthotics can go right on top of the insoles that come with the shoes. The one issue I had with the Brooks is that the regular width felt too wide and roomy for my bunions and therefore not as stable in the front of my feet.
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Mizuno Women’s Wave Rider 29 Running Shoe
I also tried Mizunos for the first time and really liked them as well. They were more similar to my older Brooks Ghosts in terms of stability (the newer Ghosts felt too cushiony for me) and the fronts of my feet felt a little more hugged without feeling too tight.
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For speed training and race day, I went with Saucony’s Endorphin Speed 5 sneakers, which ended up being my favorite pair. They have a narrower toe box that encloses my toes without constricting my bunions, a responsive semi-rigid nylon plate for speed and bounce, and a super-lightweight body. I probably should have gone up a half-size for my orthotics, as my toes started to feel cramped on long runs and race day, but besides that issue, I loved them.
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Abramova is also a fan of Altra shoes. “These sneakers have one of the widest on the market due to their patented FootShape technology that gives additional room around the toes and ball of the foot,” she says.
Casual sneakers and flats
For moreeveryday sneaker styles, Abramova stresses that a shoe’s upper material is very important. “People with bunions should look for upper materials that are soft and flexible such as soft leathers, like goat leather,” she says. “If they are vegan, go for synthetics such as mesh or neoprene. These materials will conform to forefoot deformities like bunions and hammertoes, which contribute to a wide foot.”
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For casual, everyday sneakers with flat soles, Melamed finds that all the popular styles like Adidas Sambas, Golden Goose, Vejas, and Converse are very similar in terms of their structure. “The easy answer is, if you can put your orthotic in, it should be good,” he says. Even without an orthotic, “anything short term is fine.” Melamed says that Veja has decent insoles. He also says that Chuck Taylor’s insoles have improved over the years.
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Just because you have bunions doesn’t mean you can’t wear a dainty ballet flat. Abramova likes that this ballet sneaker is expandable due to its laces. “This is a good option for bunions,” she says. “They will be better with custom orthotics, too, because they are so flat.”
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My favorite lifestyle sneakers areMephisto Rushshoes. I own several pairs: a sold-out taupe in nubuck leather, a white leather, and a vintage pair in a gray nubuck. They’re stylish without looking too trendy, athletic, or orthotic, have a “soft-air” insole, as well as a slight wedge sole for a bit of lift. I can wear them with jeans, skirts, and dresses and always get compliments on them wherever I go. I haven’t tried them with my orthotics, but I can imagine that they would make them even more comfortable.
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I’ve also been on the hunt for an athletic-style sneaker to wear on non-gym days. Because I love my Saucony Endorphins so much, I started perusing their lifestyle options and settled on the ProGrid Omni 9, a reissue of a 2010 style that’s shiny and retro in the best way. I tried on a pair that was too big and am waiting on the correct size, but the silhouette just works for my bunioned but narrow feet. I was a huge fan of my Asics Gel-Kayano 14s for a while, but the soles ended up being too flexible and unsupportive, making my feet bend too much.
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Ten or so years ago, I bought a pair of Marni neoprene mary-jane sneakers, took out the insoles, put my own in, and wore them into the ground. I finally found another pair secondhand on the RealReal but now see that updated versions are available again on the Marni website. They’re extremely cool and comfortable, and I love that they’re orthotic-friendly.
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