Hitting the Trails After the Lapiplasty® Procedure

How an innovative procedure corrected my painful bunions and changed my lifestyle

 

 

July 26th, 2023 – As a lifelong resident of Des Moines, I’ve always loved spending time with my community. I enjoy taking walks around my neighborhood, riding dirt bikes, roller skating and spending time outdoors in my hometown. When I was younger and did not have a car, I walked everywhere. Even as I got older and started driving, walking remained a fundamental part of my life. About five years ago, foot pain caused by a bunion started disrupting my everyday routine and preventing me from being as active as I wanted.

Bunions are a painful and progressive deformity that often run in families.^1,2 They form when bones in the mid-foot slide out of alignment, which typically causes the condition’s telltale bump to form on the side of the big toe. There is a common misconception that only women can develop bunions or that they are caused by wearing high heels.^3,4 In reality, about 25% of American adults, both men and women, suffer from them.⁵

Some of my relatives had problems with their feet, but I didn’t know they were experiencing pain from bunions. While their bunions never progressed to the point where they required surgery, I experienced significant discomfort as my deformity worsened.

After a few years, my bunion pain became so severe that my foot was constantly throbbing. My big toe was basically at a 45-degree angle. I couldn’t live like that any longer! I knew I had to find an effective solution. I read about different treatment approaches, but the traditional surgical options made me feel uneasy and I was hesitant to book an appointment with a specialist.

One day, I took one of my relatives for an appointment at the Foot & Ankle Center in Ankeny, Iowa, where I met Dr. Mindi Dayton. I saw an opportunity to inquire about my condition, and after Dr. Dayton examined my foot, she thought I might be a good candidate for Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™, a procedure that allows surgeons to secure the bones in their correct positions in the foot using a system of patented titanium plates.^6,7 Dr. Dayton explained that by correcting the bones’ positioning, all three dimensions of the bunion deformity would be addressed, including the extreme inward turn of my big toe.⁸

I was delighted when my doctor recommended me for the Lapiplasty® Procedure! I paid another visit to Dr. Dayton where I was formally examined and deemed eligible for the procedure. I had my right foot corrected with the Lapiplasty® Procedure in August 2022.

My procedure and recovery went very well. As Dr. Dayton instructed, I was non-weightbearing for four days before using a walking boot for about seven weeks and then transitioning back to a tennis shoe.

I’m now fully cleared for physical activity and driving. I’ve also started roller skating, hiking and taking long walks again!

I would strongly recommend the Lapiplasty® Procedure to anyone whose doctor says they are a candidate. Not only did my recovery go smoothly, but I no longer experience bunion pain! The brief time you’re recovering from the Lapiplasty® Procedure is worth the relief from chronic bunion pain.

To learn more about Lapiplasty®, visit Lapiplasty.com.

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 infection, pain, implant loosening and loss of correction with improper bone healing. For more information on benefits, risks and recovery, visit Lapiplasty.com.