Painful Bunions?
Are you suffering from painful bunions? The future has arrived for the surgical repair of this painful condition. Fix it right the first time with Treace Lapiplasty 3D Bunion Correction and Foot and Ankle Associates of North Texas (FAANT).
What is a bunion?
A bunion, or Hallux Valgus, is a bump that appears at the middle of the great toe, but it is the result of an unstable joint in the middle of the foot. This unstable joint, called the first tarsometatarsal joint, or TMT, causes the metatarsal bone to deviate toward the midline of the body creating the painful bump. This forces the great toe to move toward the lesser toes.
Modern-day surgery for bunions
Bunions are not simply a growth of bone that can be removed to cure the condition. Traditionally, surgeons just shaved off the bump to provide extra relief in tight shoes. As technology and skills advanced, surgeons progressed to cutting the metatarsal near the great toe joint and moving the bone over to straighten the great toe. This cutting of bone is called an osteotomy. This technique is how most bunions are corrected today.
This traditional procedure does not address the unstable foundation that caused the bunion to form. It also does not address the rotation that is part of the majority of bunions and therefore does not restore normal function of the joint. Studies report a 12x increased risk of recurrence of the bunion compared to Lapiplasty 3D correction.
What is Lapiplasty?
The Lapiplasty procedure is an improvement upon a procedure called a Lapidus bunionectomy, which was designed to reduce complications with traditional surgery.
Most large bunions today are repaired with the Lapidus technique. The source of the deformity, the unstable 1st TMT joint, is reduced and fused together with a single metal plate or two screws. This two-dimensional repair allows for more long-term results compared to just cutting the metatarsal, but it has several pitfalls.
Lapiplasty improves upon the Lapidus procedure by reducing the abnormal 1st TMT joint and its associated metatarsal precisely, utilizing a specialized, patented reduction clamp. The rotation of the metatarsal is most importantly reduced to normal alignment, allowing the great toe joint to normal comfortable motion. The misaligned joint tissue is then resected with a patented cutting guide before fixating the joint. This ensures perfect cuts and reduces surgeon error when cutting the bone.
Two small titanium plates and eight titanium screws are then used to fuse the joint in its natural position. The patented two plate construct provides improved stability to the joint during the recovery process, eliminating the need for casting after surgery, instead of allowing the patient to wear a walking boot. This two-plate construct is like holding a basketball with two hands versus one hand.
Lapiplasty has improved upon traditional bunion osteotomy and the Lapidus procedure in several significant ways:
- The deformity is reduced in three dimensions, allowing a return to the normal function of the great toe joint.
- The rate of non-healing of the fusion site is less than 3% with Lapiplasty, compared to 10% with traditional Lapidus procedure.
- No cast is required. Patients can start to apply weight to their foot in a boot in just days after surgery
- Recurrence rate of the patient’s bunion with Lapiplasty is less than 3%, where traditional bunion osteotomy surgery can have up to a 70% recurrence rate over time.
- Patented cutting guides and clamps are used to fix the deformity and allows for precise correction every time, versus the “free handing cuts” with traditional surgery.
Recovery with Lapiplasty surgery
The surgery is performed in a hospital or surgery center under general anesthesia and can be completed by a Lapiplasty trained surgeon in approximately one hour. Patients go home the same day of surgery in a walking boot and stay off their foot for three days. They use a scooter or roll-about, on which they kneel for three days and continue to use for long distances for up to four to six weeks after surgery, as it makes movement much easier than traditional crutches.
At three days after surgery, heel weight-bearing is allowed in a walking boot for short distances.
Stitches are removed in 10-14 days after surgery, and patients can begin applying more pressure to the foot, so that by four-weeks post-op they can walk in a boot without the assistance of a walker or crutches. By six weeks after surgery, patients transition to athletic shoes.
Aggressive athletic activity, like running, can begin about three months post-op, but low impact exercise is allowed once out of a walking boot.
Am I a surgical candidate for Lapiplasty?
Any patient who suffers with pain from a bunion, inability to wear shoes comfortably or limitation to activity that affects their quality of life is a candidate. This procedure is also approved for children who suffer from bunion pain.
The choice is clear – don’t settle for the procedure your grandmother had for her bunions, the future of bunion surgery is here, and it is called Lapiplasty 3D bunion correction!
FAANT’s surgeons are proud to be part of a group of limited surgeons specially trained to offer this procedure to their patients. We hope to see you soon!
If you would like to learn more about the Lapiplasty 3D Bunion Correction, you are invited to join FAANT and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake for a free seminar!
Dr. Paul Steinke will share important information and answer questions about this procedure on Thursday, October 10, 2019, at 6 pm at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake!
