Nearly all women expect their bodies to change during pregnancy, but 27-year-old Iowa resident Sara Mulholland never imagined carrying her first child would lead to such severe pain in her feet. “In the past, I’ve dealt with ingrown toenails or calluses once in a while – but pregnancy seemed to change everything,” Sara said. She experienced swelling that made it difficult to find shoes that fit. Eventually, just walking or standing for long periods of time became extremely painful. Sara also noticed small bumps on the sides of both her feet that appeared to be growing larger. Believing these changes were due to increased hormones, she tried to relieve her pain with home remedies and over-the-counter options. “I tried creams, compression socks, bandages, slides with built in ice packs— if you can name it, I have tried it,” she related. Nothing seemed to work. When the severe pain in her feet continued, even after giving birth to her daughter, she knew it was time to see a doctor.

Sara had seen Dr. Paul Dayton at the Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa in the past and hoped he would be able to find a solution for her problem. “He immediately assessed that I had bunions.” She continued, “I had no idea that these small bumps on my feet were the cause of my severe pain.” Sara was familiar with bunions because her sister suffered from them in college and spent eight weeks on crutches following a painful surgery to correct them. With a new baby at home, Sara was not sure that surgery would be the best option. But before she could dismiss the idea, Dr. Dayton explained he was using a new type of surgical procedure that could potentially correct her bunion permanently with a faster recovery timeline compared to the type of surgery her sister had undergone.

He told her that bunions are progressive and most only worsen with time, leading to additional problems such as hammertoes, arthritis, etc. Instead of ignoring the issue, Dr. Dayton suggested correcting Sara’s bunions with a procedure called Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction^™. Unlike a traditional 2D osteotomy, this procedure would correct the bunion in all three dimensions and use special titanium plates to secure the joint— allowing patients to more quickly bear weight after surgery and designed to greatly reduce the risk of recurrence. Hoping to relieve her pain so that she could focus on her newborn, Sara decided to schedule surgeries to correct both feet.

Sara had her right foot corrected with the Lapiplasty® Procedure in August 2018, followed by the same surgery on her left foot in October. For the first three days following each surgery, Sara made sure to rest, ice, and elevate her foot and relied on crutches to get around the house. On the fourth day, she was shocked that her medical team handed her a surgical boot and said it was time to try walking. “I will never forget my hesitation in the doctor’s office as I prepared to put my foot in the boot and on the ground for the first time after surgery,” Sara said. “I kept asking the nurse if she was sure this was ok. However, I didn’t experience much pain and was able to stand and walk without an issue. Within about four weeks, I was back to wearing normal tennis shoes again.”

Enjoying her role as a new mom, Sara is looking forward to playing and interacting with her daughter without having to worry about pain or the appearance of her feet. “Everything seems like it will just be a little bit easier now,” she explained. “I am glad that I didn’t wait to have surgery and I look forward to getting back to work and enjoying long walks to the park with my growing family.”

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.