For years, Jeaneal lived with serious and often debilitating pain in her left foot. That all changed when a stranger working at a shoe store told her she had a bunion. “I remember being absolutely dumbfounded,” Jeaneal explained. “I had always thought I had very wide feet that seemed to be getting wider on my left foot.” The 59-year-old from Magnolia, Texas had previously tried everything to relieve the constant throbbing pain in her foot. Now, she finally understood why the other non-medical methods she tried to relieve the pain never worked! Shortly after the encounter, Jeaneal researched bunions, what caused them, the pain associated with them and how to help them. She found that bunions only get worse over time and she decided to see a local surgeon to discuss her options.

Dr. Thomas Pignetti at Advanced Foot Care has been serving The Woodlands community for years. He examined Jeaneal’s bunion and told her that something would have to be done soon. “He said my bunion was really bad and recommended a new type of surgery that would properly correct it,” Jeaneal recalls. Dr. Pignetti told her about the new Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ Procedure that would allow him to correct all three dimensions of the deformity and secure the unstable joint that had allowed her foot bone to drift out of alignment. This would lessen the risk of the bunion returning and could also provide her with a faster recovery than traditional bunion surgery. While Jeaneal was encouraged about the prospect of getting back to living life without pain, she decided to go home to do some more research before making a final decision.

Most of the information Jeaneal found online described the traditional 2D osteotomy surgical option used to correct bunions. She was surprised to learn that the approach often involved a non-weightbearing recovery over several weeks, while many patients treated with Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™ reported being able to weight-bear much earlier in their experience. She also learned that the 2D osteotomy option did not address the root cause of the condition— an unstable joint. “If I was going to have surgery, I wanted to do what I could to reduce the risk of potentially having the bunion return, causing me to need surgery again,” Jeaneal said. “The Lapiplasty® Procedure was the only option I found that would reposition the whole bone and then permanently secure the unstable joint. I knew then, that I was making the right choice for myself.”

Following surgery with the Lapiplasty® Procedure, Jeaneal used a scooter to get around her home for less than two weeks and then transitioned into a walking boot. With her foot’s bones finally back in natural alignment, Jeaneal looks forward to returning to the shoe store where her journey began. This time, instead of focusing on finding a shoe to accommodate her bunion, she will be able to focus on finding a pair that simply suits her sense of style.

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 and malunion.