At 31 years old, Jenna had one marathon under her belt and was training for her second when the Jacksonville, Florida resident experienced “sharp pain that was so debilitating” that she had to “quit running and couldn’t live a healthy active lifestyle.” Jenna had a bunion; a bone deformity caused by an unstable joint that allows the big toe to drift out of alignment and progressively worsen over time.

Four years ago, Jenna underwent a bunionectomy – a traditional 2D bunion surgery – but, even after surgery, the bunion wasn’t corrected. “I was desperate for other options and, since I have bunion pain, I’ve been following Treace Medical Concepts on LinkedIn and saw stories about Lapiplasty® [3D Bunion Correction^™].” She was interested in the Lapiplasty® Procedure because, now that her painful bunion had returned, she knew traditional bunion surgery was just a cosmetic fix. And since the Lapiplasty® Procedure had demonstrated only a 3% recurrence rate in a 13-month clinical study1, Jenna had hopes that this time her bunion correction surgery would be successful.

Jenna was referred to Dr. Kurtis Hort at Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine. Dr Hort relayed to Jenna that Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ would “align my toe and completely correct it instead of shaving the bone like in traditional surgery. He said it would shift the metatarsal in the right direction which would correct the root of the problem.” Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ would correct the bunion in all three dimensions and use special titanium plates to permanently secure the unstable joint.

“I used to be a marathon runner and Dr. Hort made me feel he could get me back to being active,” explains Jenna. “My big stress release in life has always been running. So, when I couldn’t work out my stress level was higher. It was almost a depressed feeling not having that outlet because of the pain. I really hoped to be able to one day resume training for a second marathon.” The bunion also caused an issue for Jenna while she drove. “I couldn’t drive without it being bothersome. I could drive 30 miles, maximum, before having foot pain and swelling.”

In July, Jenna underwent the Lapiplasty® Procedure on her right foot at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine. She had a revision of her 2015 traditional 2D bunion surgery and also had her second toe shortened. “I was non-weight bearing for two weeks because of a hard cast and I used a knee scooter to get around. Then I was put in a walking boot,” she explains. Five weeks after surgery Jenna was out of the walking boot and driving again.

“The Lapiplasty® Procedure was an easier recovery than the traditional bunionectomy – that was rough. I’m now 11 weeks out and you can barely see a scar. I’m very happy. I’m able to wear cute sandals.” Jenna is now back to running with her golden retriever and walking along the beach.

Her advice for others regarding the Lapiplasty® Procedure? Jenna says “I wished I would have known about Lapiplasty® [3D Bunion Correction^™] before. I would have chosen it instead of a 2D bunionectomy. It makes sense to fix it right the first time. Be patient and the results will show.”

1. Ray J, 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.