Jaime is a successful corporate wellness specialist and teaches fitness classes (including spin, boot camp, kickboxing, Pilates, and strength formats) at two elite fitness clubs in Arizona. With 50 marathons and more than 300 other races under her belt, the Scottsdale resident is no stranger to competitive running. She completed her 50th marathon last year in Maui with no intention of stopping. However, that changed a week after she crossed the finish line.

Jaime’s right foot had an increasingly painful bunion; a bone deformity caused by an unstable joint that allows the big toe to drift out of alignment and progressively worsens over time. Although she suffered from bunions all her adult life, it wasn’t until a week after the Maui Marathon, while hiking with her sister, that she experienced debilitating pain – so much that she “had to limp back to their car and nothing was the same after that.”

After talking with Dr. John Cory of The Arizona Institute of Motion in Scottsdale, Arizona, Jaime decided that she was ready for a surgical solution due to the “horrible pain” she was experiencing and the fact she had a deep desire to return to running. Dr. Cory shared with Jaime the benefits of Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ compared to traditional bunion surgery and suggested she read some reviews about the Lapiplasty® Procedure. Unlike the traditional surgery, Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion^™ Correction^™ would correct the bunion in all three dimensions and use special titanium plates to permanently secure the unstable joint, helping to reduce the risk of bunion recurrence1. Further, Dr. Cory explained that the Lapiplasty® Procedure could help return her to a high level of running by addressing the structural issues in her foot related to the unstable joint and resulting biomechanical imbalances caused by the bunion deformity.

“I was doing everything to avoid surgery. I was diligent but ultimately the bunion got worse and the pain was too much in the second toe area because of the bunion. Dr. Cory said it was structural and would have to be fixed in order to continue with my running career.” Jaime opted for the Lapiplasty® Procedure in February 2019 on her right foot in order to maintain her running career. “As a go-go-go person who finds staying off my feet difficult, I appreciated that Dr. Cory was extra cautious with my recovery so not to hurt my long-term goals of running again,” she explains. For this reason, she worked with her doctor for both prehab and post-surgery recovery. “A few months before surgery, I focused specific areas of my training around strengthening my glutes and core, was fitted for custom insoles and wore toe spacers.

Dr. Cory told Jaime she had the weekend after her surgery to rest but in order to restore foot function and return to elite running, she would have to begin to “train her weaknesses”. He asked her to stay active post-surgery and to find ways to creatively keep moving her body while in the boot. So, Jaime continued to lead her fitness classes within weeks of surgery although more of a coach than a participant. A regimen of intense physical therapy, swimming, weight training, and the use of an anti-gravity machine was specifically designed to help Jaime progress towards her goal of returning to elite running. She also wore Altra shoes because they provided comfort post-surgery. At the 16-week mark, Jaime was back to running on soft trails and at 20 weeks she was running five miles on pavement, fully participating in group fitness classes, and hiking. “I trusted Dr. Cory’s guidance with my Lapiplasty® recovery because he works with a lot of athletes in the area,” she explains.

Seven months after surgery, Jaime will run her first 10K and plans to run a half marathon less than eight months after her Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™. This puts her ahead of her initial goal of running that same distance a year post surgery. Her future hope now is to qualify again for another Boston Marathon which is considered the world’s oldest marathon and the only qualifying marathon in the world other than the Olympics! As for anyone interested in Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™, Jaime has some advice: “Our feet take so much trauma. Honor your body and your healing. Do everything you can during recovery to rest and be positive. My right side is stronger than before! And I’m happy to be running again and back to optimal foot function.”

1. Ray et al. Foot Ankle Int. 2019 Aug;40(8):955-960.

Only a surgeon can tell if Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ is right for you. As with any medical treatment, individual results may vary and this experience is unique and specific to this patient only. There are potential risks with surgery and recovery takes time. Potential risks include, but are not limited to: infection, discomfort from the presence of the implant, loosening of the implant, and loss of correction with nonunion or malunion.