At least once a day, I treat someone having a bunion, wearing the worst possible running shoe. By worst possible, I don’t mean brand, because there’s no such thing as the perfect brand. What I mean is, design, or rather the shoe design features to look for in a shoe which will maximize wear ability and comfort.
For those of you with bunions, finding a running shoe that’s wide enough can be a frustrating challenge. Because of this, you oftentimes wind up buying a shoe that accommodates the bunion, but doesn’t fit the rest of your foot.
The better solution is to look for mesh over the bump and eyelets that extend to the bump or beyond. This way, the shoe is forgiving where your need it, without sacrificing proper fit in the rest of the foot. You can also skip the first pair of eyelets to instantly increase forefoot width as well.
Here is an example of what to look for.
Notice the mesh which pushes out where the bunion is? After doing this, if the shoe still feels snug, you can also skip the first set of eyelets to relieve even more pressure over the bump.
Dr. Jenny Sanders Shoe Blog 
Thank you for these words of wisdom. Finding shoes that fit my bunions almost impossible. I normally wear size 10 – big feet with big bunions.
Oh my gosh! This lacing trick is a god-send!! I recently ordered replacement running shoes, and the new design of the same style shoe is a little bit more narrow. I noticed the discomfort only after I’d worn them outside, so I can’t return them. This has made all the difference in the world!
Good tip. Thank you.
Great information! I was on the right track with the mesh and frustrated that I could buy a pair of shoes that worked and then buy an ‘identical’ pair three months later that do not work.
From your article, I see that small changes in the manufacture of the shoe that affect where the mesh covers the bunion makes the difference.
Thanks,
Mike