PICKLEBALL INSIDER
Naples Pickleball Player Spent Two Years Blaming Her Bunion For The Pain — Until A Shoe Fitter Turned Her Court Shoe Over And Showed Her What Was Really Grinding On It
June 14, 2026 · 8:42 am EDT
"I'd already started skipping my Thursday games. Then the guy at the shoe shop asked to see the pair I'd been playing in." — Carol, Naples
I thought I was done.
Not from some big blowout injury. Nothing dramatic.
Just a big toe that barked louder every week, until sitting out started to feel easier than lacing up.
If you play pickleball and your big toe is throbbing by the third game…
If it's bulging against the side of the shoe, if you've lost a toenail to it, if you've caught yourself eyeing the bench and telling the group "I'll sit this one out"…
Then give me the next two minutes. Because I spent two years and a lot of money on the wrong answer, and the real one turned out to be sitting on my own feet the whole time.
What The Guy At The Sporting Goods Store Never Told Me
Most of the players who walk into a good shoe shop complaining about their big toe are playing in shoes that are pointed like a dart.
That's what the fitter told me. And I was one of them.
Not because I was careless. Not because I bought cheap. I bought the ones that said "pro" on the box.
Because it turns out the way these court shoes are shaped hasn't really changed in twenty years — and nobody selling them to me ever said a word about it.
I Was Just Like You
My name's Carol. I'm 58. I live in Naples.
Three years ago pickleball pulled me back into being an actual active person again. I play Tuesdays and Thursdays with the same group, and honestly that group is the best thing on my calendar.
Not work. Not anybody else's schedule. Mine.
So when my big toe started acting up about a year in, I didn't stop.
I did what you'd do. I played through it and I tried to fix it around the edges.
I tried everything:
✗ Gel bunion pads and toe spacers — which just ate up what little room the shoe had
✗ Sizing up half a size — the shoe still came to a point, so all I got was extra length flopping around
✗ "Wide" court shoes that turned out to be wide in the heel and just as narrow up top
✗ A toe splint I wore at night — that did nothing the second I laced back into the same shoe in the morning
✗ Taping the toe, loosening the laces, even taking a razor to an old pair to cut a slit for the bump
None of it held. My toe kept barking.
My doctor had run out of things to say. Wear something wider. Ice it. See how it goes.
I'd done all that. Twice.
By the time I wandered into that little shoe shop, I mostly just wanted somebody to tell me it wasn't all in my head.
What He Showed Me In About Ten Seconds
What I didn't expect was for him to ask me to take my shoe off.
Both of them, actually — the shoe and the sock.
He set my bare foot flat on the floor. Then he set my court shoe down right next to it.
"Look at your foot," he said. "Your big toe points straight out, or even out a little. Now look at the shoe."
The shoe curved inward. Hard. Right at the spot where my big toe wanted to go straight, the shoe pulled in to a point.
"Every time you split-step, every time you push off, that curve is shoving your big toe in toward the others — right onto that joint. Hundreds of times a match. You didn't do this to your foot. The shape did."
Then he pointed at the name on the side.
"Speed. Pro. Race. Ever notice the fast-sounding ones are always the skinny ones? That's the tell. Narrow sells as 'athletic.'"
I just stared at it.
He wasn't trying to sell me anything, by the way. He fits shoes for a living. He'd seen this a thousand times.
"Your bunion's real," he said. "Some of it's probably just how your family's built. I'm not going to tell you a shoe erases that. But that bump isn't why it's screaming at you by game three. It's screaming because the shoe's leaning on it all night."
I Sat In The Car For A While
I drove home and I didn't turn the radio on.
Two years. Two years I'd spent thinking my foot was the problem.
My genes. My age. Something wrong with me.
And the whole time it was the thing I'd been jamming that foot into every single morning without once thinking to look at it.
Why "Court Shoes" Keep Squeezing Court Players
Here's the part that got me a little mad.
The big names build these things on a shape that curves in at the front, because a sleek, pointed shoe photographs well and looks fast on the shelf.
It's got nothing to do with what your foot does when you're planting and cutting on a hard court.
The pointed toe? Looks athletic. Sells.
The bunion grinding by game three? That shows up later, on the court, and nobody at the register connects it back to the shoe.
Not the salesperson who sold me my last two "pro" pairs. Not my regular doctor, who looked at my foot but never once asked to see my shoe.
Because it said "court shoe" on the box.
Turns out that phrase means almost nothing.
The Three Things He Told Me To Look For
He didn't point me at a brand. He told me what to look for, and I want you to actually remember these:
1. A straight front, not a curved one. The shoe should go out where your big toe goes out — not pull in to a point. Real room right at that joint, so nothing's pressing on it.
2. Room to spread. Your toes are supposed to fan out and grab the floor when you plant and cut. A shoe that pins them together is taking away your own stability, not adding it.
3. Low and grounded — with enough sole for concrete. Not a tall soft pillow that leaves you tippy on a cut. Not a paper-thin slipper either. Enough shoe to handle hard courts, close enough to the ground that you're steady when you push off.
Most court shoes miss on all three.
What Happened When I Found A Pair Built That Way
I found a pair built around exactly those three things.
They're called CUURT.
They're not a tennis shoe with a pickleball sticker on it. They're not a running shoe somebody decided to sell to pickleball players. They're shaped like an actual foot.
Here's how they matched what the fitter told me:
✓ Foot-shaped toe box — the front goes straight out and it's widest right at the big-toe joint. Nothing's driving my toe inward anymore. The pressure just… comes off.
✓ Room to spread — my toes fan out and grab the court on a cut instead of getting crammed into a triangle.
✓ Low, grounded sole — a Goodyear rubber outsole built for hard outdoor courts. Steady on a cut, not floating up on foam, and plenty of shoe between me and the concrete.
✓ 6-month sole warranty — if the outsole wears through in six months of regular play, they replace it.
Now the honest part, because I'm not going to lie to you: my bunion didn't disappear. It's still there. The bump's still a bump. If yours is already in real trouble, go see a foot doctor first — this isn't a medical thing, it's just finally getting the shoe off the joint.
But five weeks in, I've played nine times. Three-hour sessions. I get to the car and my toe isn't throbbing. Nothing's grinding on it, so I go whole games without even thinking about it.
I forgot what that felt like.
What Other Players Are Saying
Ijmal A. — Verified Purchase 4/27/2026
"I have started playing 4 days a week and I never had to even think about foot pain. Miracle!!! Regret spending money on so many expensive shoes (Diadem, Asics etc) costing over $150 each."
Sesimoni T. — Verified Purchase 5/5/2026
"My ankles and knees experience significant pain. However since acquiring my Cuurt Muuv pair of shoes, I have noticed a remarkable improvement, and I am now pain free. They have been a lifesaver."
Lynne W. — Verified Purchase 6/21/2026
"I am 74 and now have no pain when I play or even get tired. I can play 3 hours and all is good. My joints are loving these sneakers."
Check If CUURT Still Has Your Size
Right now CUURT is running Buy One, Get One Free with free shipping for players coming from this page.
Popular sizes do sell out as the season ramps up, so it's worth a quick look before they're gone.
Check Availability & Claim Your Buy One Get One Free →
Covered by a 6-month Sole Warranty on the outsole.
You've Got Two Choices Right Now
You can keep lacing into a shoe that points inward and hoping the pads and the spacers finally do something.
Keep icing it. Keep sizing up. Keep telling the group you'll sit this one out.
Or you can spend two minutes checking if they've still got your size — and find out what a full session feels like when nothing's leaning on that toe.
It might just be the shape of the shoe.
And that's about the easiest thing you've ever had a chance to fix.
Check Availability →
"These shoes really give me a lot of room for my wide feet. The design definitely makes it so comfortable. My tennis peeps have commented on how they like the design of the shoe. At 71 y.o. I play almost daily! Hoping the outsole will last longer than some of the other name brand shoes I have been buying." - Rosita S.
"Wasn’t sure these shoes would be a good fit, but WOW they are great. Can’t believe the room in the toe box and the excellent fit to the heal of the foot. The shoes hold the court when playing and no discomfort!" - Diane J.
"My husband has played tennis and pickleball in shoes and loves them! He's played tennis for 55 years and in the last year had had issues with foot pain and swelling, now with his muuv shoes no more pain or swelling. Recently played for 4 hours in a pickleball tournament wearing these shoes and had no pain or swelling! Customer service has been wonderful! We got the wrong size initially and each email was responded to quickly. A new pair was sent and received within a week. When ordering I would suggest you size up 1 size. This has been a great experience and really impressed with the shoes! Highly recommend!" - Tona C.
This is an advertisement and not an actual news article or consumer protection report. The story depicted is based on experiences some customers have had. Individual results may vary.
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