Thomas, a 58-year old Melbourne, Florida resident, could not walk more than a few hundred feet without experiencing burning pain.

A bunion had formed on his left foot nearly five years ago and, over time, became unbearably painful. “It got to the point where my foot was on my mind from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed. It really began impacting the way I approached my job and hobbies,” Thomas admitted. As a self-employed forensic consultant responsible for investigating facilities insurance claims, it was essential that he remain on his feet for hours at a time. In some cases, the strain of a long workday meant that he could not participate in the hobbies he most enjoyed, including volunteering for the oceanography institute and acting in community theatre productions.

Thomas reached his tipping point when he was unable to join in hiking trips while visiting friends in Arizona. He returned home and contacted a local podiatrist who suggested traditional bunion correction surgery. But after researching that approach online and reading about patients who had experienced a recurrence after surgery, he decided to cancel the procedure and seek another option. He eventually stumbled upon the Treace Medical Concepts website and became immediately interested in Lapiplasty^® 3D Bunion Correction^™.

Traditional bunion surgery focuses on addressing the cosmetic “bump” associated with a bunion – it is shaved away in a surgical procedure but does nothing to address the cause of the problem. In his research, Thomas learned that the Lapiplasty^® Procedure addresses the true root cause of bunions by stabilizing the joint at the base of the big toe and rotating the bone back into normal three-dimensional alignment. Titanium plates are used to secure the unstable joint, allowing patients to put weight on their foot shortly after surgery in a boot¹.

Thomas explained, “As a mechanical engineer, I was encouraged by the precision this technology provided the surgeon. However, even without my background, this option just seemed like common sense medicine to me. I wanted the problem fixed completely and correctly the first time— who wouldn’t?”

Using the online surgeon locator on Treace’s website, Thomas reached out to Dr. Paul Dayton with the Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa and scheduled his surgery. After the procedure, he rested in a nearby hotel for about three days and relied simply on Ibuprofen instead of prescription drugs for pain relief. Within about five days, Thomas was back at home and walking comfortably in a boot. “I think I was most surprised that I was able to walk so soon and putpressure on my foot again without much pain,” Thomas said. “I was eager to get back to my home in Florida and return to living a more active and pain-free life.” 

Months later, Thomas revealed he became emotional while walking along the uneven Florida beaches without pain. “All of a sudden, I realized I wasn’t thinking about my foot. In fact, I had gone days without thinking about it at all! That had not happened in years. It was in that moment that I realized I was going to be okay and that my long painful struggle with my bunion had finally ended.”

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.