shoe recommendation for someone with bunions

My wife has terrible bunions and her current climbing shoes are killing her; limping for 2 days after climbing for a couple of hours.   She is a beginner climber so shoe performance is not an issue; we are just looking for something she can wear.

So what shoes does the mtn project brain suggest?    Which shoes have the biggest toe box?

https://www.climbingshoereview.com/most-comfortable-climbing-shoes/

I tried something like the Scarpa Veloce, and it felt a bit like a running shoe. I have a 45 wide foot, for reference.

I suggest that she try the La Sportiva Lady Mythos--though possibly a 1/2 size bigger than her regular size. The 1/2 size doesn't make that much difference in performance, especially on moderate routes, yet, once the shoes have broken in ( not a very lengthy process), this does provide a significant increase in the comfort level. Also socks, or, better, women's dress 1/2 socks, can be used when a tighter fit is required.

My partner also has pretty gnarly bunions. She absolutely loves Miuras, velcro and lace. She also got a pair of Mantras recently and likes those also. 

My partner likes her Ocun Fury, they differentiate their shoes by last instead of gender and these fit her bunions well. 

I’ve got a bunion and can only wear Evolv Kiras and La Sportiva Finales comfortably. Evolv Elektra Lace are also very comfy although I don’t own a pair (just tried them on).

 I do size up a bit from my street size otherwise the pain is intolerable. I don’t climb anything steep so neutral or moderate shoes work fine for my purposes. I can’t handle aggressive shoes at all so it’s just as well I prefer slab to overhangs. 

As someone w a moderate Bunion the 'new' Miuras have plenty of room in the toe box but the profile of the shoe is opposite of how the big toe drifts with a bunion. I wore through multiple pairs of miuras through the years. I could even were my toe spacer with them but when LaSportiva changed them the toe box is different enough with the toe profile that they no longer work for me with how my right big toe has drifted inward.

Hi there!

There are already some great shoe recommendations here but overall what research supports is the shoes that are the "best" are the ones that are the most comfortable. I'm a physical therapist and this is the advice that we see the best results with in terms of footwear. In addition to footwear, there is a lot that can be done to alleviate the discomfort and to minimize the progression of bunions. I'm going to attach an article from The Climbing Doctor blog that goes over a lot of great information for this. The blog is run by Dr. Jared Vagy, a physical therapist and climbing specialist. If your wife needs additional assistance, reaching out to a physical therapist (bonus if they're familiar with climbing) would be the next best step.

Bunion Management Article

One other thing that I often recommend to patients with (and without) bunions for optimal foot function and health is toe spacers. I'll link a good one below. They're great to wear daily with (if you can comfortably fit) or without shoes for a few hours. It usually takes some time to ease in to longer wear so starting with shorter bouts 30-60 min is a great place to start.

Toe Spacers

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and I wish her the best of luck in finding some relief!

Try lambs wool .

Not answering your question but if bunions are bad it's certainly worth considering surgery. I had my worst foot done: bunion removed, big toe bone cut in half and swiveled straight, 2nd toe straightened with metal pin and tendon cut. Out of action for over 6 weeks but very pleased with result. Now both feet are near same fit for shoes.

After a long search with several returned shoes, my wife ended up with Scarpa Helix Woman's sized near or perhaps slightly larger than her street shoe size.

She is also looking into surgery to fix or alleviate the pain caused by her bunions. 

climber pat wrote:

After a long search with several returned shoes, my wife ended up with Scarpa Helix Woman's sized near or perhaps slightly larger than her street shoe size.

She is also looking into surgery to fix or alleviate the pain caused by her bunions. 

That’s great! Same. It took me many shoes to finally settle upon the Evolv Lace Up Shaman. So, I bought two pair.

climber pat wrote:

My wife has terrible bunions and her current climbing shoes are killing her; limping for 2 days after climbing for a couple of hours.   She is a beginner climber so shoe performance is not an issue; we are just looking for something she can wear.

So what shoes does the mtn project brain suggest?    Which shoes have the biggest toe box?

I have wide feet AND large bunions and I swear by La Sportiva Miuras. I wear women’s but men’s are generally a little bigger in the toe box. These are performance shoes but in a slightly bigger size they may be comfortable enough for her.

Buy shoes from REI. It’s worth it to be able to return them without an entire year if they don’t fit. Sometimes you won’t know for several climbs with bunions!

Kate Blume wrote:

Buy shoes from REI. It’s worth it to be able to return them without an entire year if they don’t fit. Sometimes you won’t know for several climbs with bunions!

No guilt, I’ve bought 3 of the Shaman from REI after trying 5 others.

Any shoe recs for people that don’t have bunions but also don’t want bunions? Kinda wide feet?

Edit: seems like most all climbing shoes swing the big toe inward, and I’ve noticed after gym seshes in mocs that after taking off my shoes my foot looks less my my foot and more like my shoe 

M Fazio wrote:

Any shoe recs for people that don’t have bunions but also don’t want bunions? Kinda wide feet?

Edit: seems like most all climbing shoes swing the big toe inward, and I’ve noticed after gym seshes in mocs that after taking off my shoes my foot looks less my my foot and more like my shoe 

Shaman Evolv work best for me, but I do take them off every climb. They’re exactly my street size, heel and toe hooks are snug and secure.

Scarpa and LaSportiva shoes are better for people with slim feet.

M Fazio wrote:

Any shoe recs for people that don’t have bunions but also don’t want bunions? Kinda wide feet?

Edit: seems like most all climbing shoes swing the big toe inward, and I’ve noticed after gym seshes in mocs that after taking off my shoes my foot looks less my my foot and more like my shoe 

Mad rock Phoenix