Jennifer, a 45-year-old contract administrator living in Boynton Beach, Fla., has never known life without bunions. They formed on both feet in her early years and she remembered wondering why – at age 10 – her feet looked “weird and funky.” While the bunions were unsightly to look at, they did not become problematic until several years later.

As a teenager, Jennifer found herself unable to wear certain shoes and even in her most comfortable footwear she often placed cotton balls over the bunions for extra protection. As she entered her twenties, Jennifer couldn’t wait to take her shoes off at the end of each day and grew increasingly uncomfortable with the appearance of her feet.

In 2000, having lived with the discomfort for more than a decade, Jennifer decided to have her left bunion corrected by a surgeon in New York, where she lived at the time. Her intention was to eventually have the bunion on her right foot corrected as well, but the first procedure left her in constant pain and unable to sleep for months on end. She was also unable to put weight on her foot for three months after surgery and her opinion of her recovery, overall, was that it was a brutal and lengthy process.

By late 2017, Jennifer had relocated to Florida and the bunion on her right foot had grown progressively worse in both discomfort and appearance. Not willing to suffer any longer, Jennifer decided to take action and she was referred to Dr. Christopher Pappas, one of the few podiatrists in the area performing the newly patented Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ procedure.

The Lapiplasty® Procedure returns the entire metatarsal bone to its normal alignment and stabilizes the joint, naturally removing the bump and straightening the toe. Unlike a traditional 2D osteotomy bunion surgery which focuses more on the cosmetic “bump”, Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ addresses the true root cause of bunions by permanently stabilizing the unstable joint at the base of the big toe and rotating the misaligned bone into normal alignment. The small metal plates used to permanently secure the unstable joint are designed to allow patients to put weight on their foot shortly after surgery.

Dr. Pappas explained Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ in detail during Jennifer’s initial visit. She was encouraged by what she heard and she scheduled surgery that day. In June 2018, the bunion on her right foot was corrected in all three planes (this time) and Jennifer immediately felt that she made the right decision. Instead of spending three months in a cast, as she did with her first bunion surgery, she was able to put limited weight on her foot after just two weeks using a walking boot. Four weeks after that, she was able to discard her walking boot and move into comfortable shoe wear such as sneakers.

Today, Jennifer is without bunion pain for the first time in decades, and she notes that her right foot, recently corrected with the Lapiplasty® Procedure, appears straighter than her left one.

“After being in pain for thirty-five years, it is incredible to slide into a pair of sneakers without worry,” said Jennifer. “I cannot believe how much better the Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ is over the procedure I had in 2000. As I continue in my recovery, I am looking forward to getting back into open toed shoes. I couldn’t be happier.”

Only a surgeon can tell if Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ is right for you and what level of activity you can expect after healing is complete. 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.