How do you know when it's time for bunion surgery?

There is no hard rule on when to have bunion surgery other than pain.  If a bunion is not painful, don't even consider surgery.  When the pain of a bunion (or arthritis in the big toe joint) begins to bother you on a daily basis, it is probably time to start talking about what surgery you need.  If bunion pain is stopping you from any activities that you want to do; yoga, running, walking your dog; that is another good indicator that it might be time to start thinking about surgery.