A bunion is a bone prominence at the great toe joint which makes shoe fit and wear difficult due to irritation and pain. Bunion reduction surgery aims to alleviate this pain and realign the forefoot. 330,000 bunion surgeries take place in the United States annually. Interestingly, there are no standardized systematic approaches to the correction of these deformities. Surgeon experience, training and preference have driven procedure selection. Traditional surgical procedures do not always address the triplane nature of these deformities which can lead to recurrence and unsatisfactory results. It has been documented in the scientific literature that bunion recurrence can reach 30-50% following surgery.
The Lapiplasty® procedure provides the benefits of a standard reproducible surgical approach that achieves tri-planar correction and supports immediate weight bearing for mild, moderate and severe bunion deformities. This ground breaking technique also reduces operative time and decreases patient exposure to anesthesia.
The procedure makes use of specialized instrumentation specifically designed to manipulate and reduce the bunion prior to making the initial bone cuts. It allows for minimal bone removal which nearly eliminates the risk of significant bone shortening. It also supports the use of biplanar plate fixation of the correction site. This technique is what makes immediate weight bearing possible. More traditional surgical approaches can require patients to be inconvenienced by 6 weeks of non-weight bearing status. The Lapiplasty® returns patients to their typical foot wear within 6 weeks of surgery and should provide lasting permanent results.
This innovative surgical solution is currently available at JCMG Podiatry. It truly provides both the patient and the surgeon many advantages and will make correction accessible to those of us who can not afford to be off of our feet.
Learn more by reading JCMG Brings the First and Best Bunion Procedure to Missouri, a discussion between our doctors and the Editor of HER Magazine about the Lapiplasty bunion correction system.