For April Leonard, running the “Big Five” (a series of high-profile marathons) has always been a dream.

She ran Chicago, the first of her biggest marathons, and made plans to take in the sights, sounds, and excitement while running the other four big cities. Over the last decade, April has since run milestone marathons in Berlin, London, and New York. The fifth major marathon left for her to run is in Boston.

Unfortunately, running marathons around the world has been met with worsening foot pain. April had a collapsing arch and an increasingly painful bunion; a bone deformity caused by an unstable joint that allows the big toe to drift out of alignment and progressively worsens over time. Beyond her interest in running, April and her husband live on a Missouri farm with 200 cows, chickens and horses. And, to her dismay, her foot problems started to affect the daily activities she did on their farm as well.

After learning a bit about Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction® while on hold making a doctor’s appointment for her husband, April met with Dr. Jody McAleer of Jefferson City Medical Group for a bunion surgery consultation.

He explained to her that traditional bunion surgery was often “a cosmetic fix and did not fix the actual, root of the problem.” And that, unlike the traditional surgery, Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion® Correction would correct the bunion in all three dimensions using special titanium plates to secure the unstable joint (the root cause of her bunion) – and allowing patients to quickly bear weight in a walking boot after surgery.¹

Hearing that the root cause of her bunion would be secured was something that resonated with April as she has friends who underwent traditional bunion surgery, only for the bunion to return. Knowing this, she opted for the Lapiplasty® Procedure in December 2017 because she thought it was best “to fix it right the first time so you don’t have to possibly correct it again.” The possibility of a faster recovery was also of interest as she hoped to return to long-distance running as quickly as possible.

April had the Lapiplasty® Procedure done on her left foot in December 2017.

She describes herself as “Type A and full of energy” and tried to do daily things for herself “for her mental health.” In her particular recovery experience, she was completely non-weight bearing for seven weeks after surgery because of the additional arch issues that were treated at the same time as her bunion surgery. Her husband took care of daily tasks on the farm and she was not released by her doctor to take part in any race for about three months. “I went back to running as soon as the boot came off. And, at about five months after surgery, I ran my first 10K. Ten months after surgery, I was ready for a half marathon,” April said.

April recalls having very little pain after surgery and no longer lives with daily physical restrictions or “rubbing” on her shoes associated with her bunion.

She moves better on her left foot than before surgery and has even completed a marathon in Alaska now.

She plans to have the Lapiplasty® Procedure on her right foot at the end of the year. “I believe in Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction®”, April said. “I’ve already given one of my friends, who had a reoccurring bunion, Dr. McAleer’s phone number so she can get the Lapiplasty® Procedure too.”

Lapiplasty® is a surgical procedure. Only a surgeon can tell if Lapiplasty® Procedure is right for you. This experience is unique and specific to this patient only. Individual results may vary depending on age, weight, health, and other variables. There are risks and recovery takes time. For more information about recovery from the Lapiplasty® Procedure, see the recovery information and discuss the post-surgery recovery process with your doctor. Risks include infection, pain, implant loosening and loss of correction with improper bone healing. For more information on benefits, risks and recovery, visit www.Lapiplasty.com.