Living in a coastal town in Maine provides many opportunities for Gina, a 48-year-old Bowdoin resident, to walk along the beach. Walking is her “way to lose weight and to be in better shape.” She also looks forward to her annual trip to Disney so she can explore the park — walking the average 13 miles/day guests are said to log. But, during her most recent trip to see Mickey and friends, Gina says her foot “started to kill me.”

For three decades Gina has had a bunion; a bone deformity caused by an unstable joint that allows the big toe to drift out of alignment. The excruciating pain she experienced while on vacation pushed her to see her podiatrist.

“I wanted the pain to go away and for it to not return. I just wanted my foot fixed. I couldn’t wear flip flops anymore. I couldn’t walk on the treadmill. The incline hurt so bad I was limping,” she shares.
Now experiencing almost constant pain, Gina was forced to reconsider both her love of ocean walks and her gym membership since “walking and going to the gym was very hard.”

Her podiatrist referred her to Dr. Angela Tebaldi at Foot & Ankle Associates in Brunswick, Maine. Dr. Tebaldi explained that with Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ “an incision would be made on the top of my foot. The bunion would be corrected in all three dimensions, using special titanium plates to permanently secure the unstable joint; which was the root cause of the problem.” Dr. Tebaldi also gave Gina the AlignMyToe.com website address as reference to learn more about the procedure. “I went online and watched the procedure being done. It was cool. It didn’t scare me or anything. It was kind of amazing.” Gina explains.

In April, Gina had Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ on her right foot at Midcoast Hospital in Brunswick. Since she was non-weight bearing for a month, her boyfriend and neighbor across the street helped her get to appointments. And she used a knee scooter to get around the kitchen in order to cook. She was in a walking boot for a month and then at ten weeks after surgery she was back in a sneaker. “I have no more bunion pain and I’m back at the gym. I can walk for hours and hours. I am back to my normal self,” says Gina.

Gina has already made an appointment with Dr. Tebaldi to have the surgery done in February on her left foot. “I think the recovery will be a lot easier as I couldn’t drive for 12 weeks when my right foot was done but, I will be able to drive sooner when I get my left foot done.”

For anyone interested in the Lapiplasty® Procedure, Gina says “The Lapiplasty® Procedure is an amazing surgery. People are afraid to get bunion surgery done but, to me, Lapiplasty® [3D Bunion Correction^™] is the greatest thing.”

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.