After working in several exciting careers, Jayne looked forward to spending her retirement on activities she enjoyed. However, soon after she began her retirement, her plans were disrupted by a constant throbbing pain in her right foot caused by a worsening bunion. “How can anyone do anything when just walking around for five minutes in a normal shoe causes debilitating pain?” Jayne mused. The 70-year-old New Yorker has a passion for animals and makes it a priority to walk her two small dogs each day. She also volunteers at a local thrift store, which has her on her feet. When the pain in her foot began limiting her ability to get around town and to the store, she knew something had to be done.

Jayne had seen Dr. Alan Berman at Somers Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Group in the past and knew he could advise her on how to alleviate her pain. “Bunions impacted both my feet, but it was really the right side that gave me the most trouble and made it difficult to handle many daily tasks,” Jayne explained. “Dr. Berman told me some surgeries to correct bunions focused on shaving down the bony “bump”, but the problem could return over time. He offered a new procedural alternative, Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™, that involved rotating the bone back into its normal position and permanently securing it to help reduce the risk that it would move out of place again. To me, that sounded more like a real correction rather than a cosmetic fix!”

Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ is designed to correct a bunion in all 3 dimensions. In this procedure special titanium plates are used to permanently secure the unstable joint in the middle of the foot; which is the true root cause of the bunion. This lessens the risk of the bunion returning and offers a chance for a faster recovery compared to traditional bunion correction approaches. Despite the advantages, Jayne’s friends were not convinced it would be a smooth process: “When I told my friends that I was having this surgery they all said, ‘Oh no! You will not be able to move for months!’ And, I told them that shouldn’t be a problem because I am getting a new procedure which was designed to have me up and about in a walking boot within a few days!”

Following surgery with the Lapiplasty® Procedure, Jayne used crutches and her wheeled ottoman to get around her home. “The crutches were difficult for me to navigate and I didn’t have a scooter, so the ottoman was great,” she laughed. Thankfully, Jayne didn’t need the support for long. She was up and on her feet in a boot only three days after surgery. “I had confidence in Dr. Berman and when he said this would go smoothly, I believed him.” Jayne continued, “I just never thought it would go that smoothly! I was also surprised that I was not in more pain for a longer period of time. The best part was telling my friends about my personal experience with bunion correction and seeing the surprise on their faces!”

Since the procedure, Jayne has been able to return to volunteering at the thrift store and is no longer distracted by pain when walking her dogs or during outings with friends. “I tell everyone about my experience,” she said. “The doctor gave me a brochure on the procedure and I actually carry it around in my purse to show people. The Lapiplasty® Procedure and Dr. Berman have made such a difference in my quality of life.” Jayne is now eagerly awaiting the chance to correct the bunion on her left foot to help her experience retirement in the way that she had hoped it would be.

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.