Jen has always been an active person, participating in multiple sports through her school years and continuing to be active after her higher education ended. Hiking, running, and biking are some of her favorite hobbies, but she took even those activities to the extreme – participating in ultra marathons — which are running races with a distance greater than a traditional marathon (26.2 miles).

As far back as she can remember, Jen knew she had a bunion but, for the most part, the pain of that bunion was bearable. She actually didn’t notice it too much, unless she was on her feet all day in high heels but, overall, she felt that it was bearable and something that she was able to work around.

That changed though when, about 18 months ago, the bunion pain that had previously been bearable began to increase in intensity and encroach on her beloved hobbies. “When I found it was too painful to enjoy a run, I knew it was time to start looking into correcting my bunion,” said Jen.

Being in the medical device industry herself, doing research on the various treatment options available was important to her, and she set about researching online, where she found AlignMyToe.com and read about Lapiplasty^® 3D Bunion Correction^™. She was actually shocked to learn how prevalent bunion recurrence was after traditional osteotomy procedures (up to 70% of bunions return if all three dimensions are not treated).¹ Being a fairly scientific person, reading the Lapiplasty^® System’s clinical results from 13-17 month studies where only 1-3% patients experienced recurrence, was very encouraging to her.^2,3 “I would say the published success rates of the Lapiplasty^® System highly influenced my decision to find a locally trained doctor and to have the procedure done. That was pretty good data. After all, I wouldn’t want to waste time going through a surgery and recovery with a procedure that has a high recurrence rate. At one point, I was considering MIS (minimally invasive surgery) but ruled it out, as it seemed to be only a cosmetic fix. Nothing seemed to me to be clinically equivalent to Lapiplasty^® 3D Bunion Correction^™.”

Jen used the Find A Doctor function on AlignMyToe.com to connect with a local doctor for a consultation, Dr Bharat Desai, of Panorama Orthopedics. “It was important to me to find a doctor who was experienced in the procedure,” Jen related. Dr. Desai impressed her with the depth of knowledge he had about Lapiplasty^® Bunion Correction^™ and how much time he took to explain the procedure, walking her through an animation, and answering her questions. He was very passionate about the benefits the Lapiplasty^® System offers active patients and assured Jen that she would be able to hike, run, and bike as before once she fully healed from the surgery.

Jen had the Lapiplasty^® Procedure done on a Wednesday and went home with a nerve block to help manage pain which lasted about 24 hours. She was able to manage her pain with over-the-counter pain medicine after that and, because she worked a desk job from home, she actually was able to go back to work on Monday, keeping her foot elevated and iced at all times. She was able to bear weight in a walking boot within the first week of surgery. “I was ecstatic to be able to weight-bear so early – that seems to me to be a huge ‘game changer’ about the Lapiplasty^® Procedure.” Jen transitioned into comfortable shoes at the six-week mark.

One thing she felt was crucial to her recovery was being prescribed 5-6 physical therapy sessions. “I went into the surgery having realistic expectations that there would be work on my part to recover the best that I could and to get back to where I needed to be. My physical therapist taught me how to really start using my foot again and not babying it.”

Three months after surgery, Jen was able to do 13-14 miles on her stationary bike at home and has also gotten out with her daughters for 2-3 mile hikes. “My recovery has been really pretty easy and I’m really looking forward to the four-month mark after surgery to where I should be released to full activity. I can’t wait to get back to everything I could do before.”

Now, four months after surgery, Jen has been released to full activity and has completeda 3 mile run, various HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts and inline skating — all within the same week of being released. “I have been able to get back into the swing of things. My foot was a little sore initially, so I iced and elevated, and then it was fine. Every day, my foot feels better.”

1. Jeuken RM, et al. Foot Ankle Int. 2016. 37:687-95.
2. Ray J, et al. Foot Ankle Int. 2019 Aug;40(8):955-960.
3. Dayton P, et al. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2019. 58:427-433.

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.