New LapiFuse Procedure Finally Puts Bunions In The Right Place
People can finally put an end to this painful bump in the road with the new LapiFuse Bunion Surgery that corrects bunions once and for all.
The pain that comes with living with bunions is no joke and it affects the lives of millions of Americans on a daily basis. In fact, 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 is reported to have a bunion to some degree. Not only are bunions uncomfortable and painful to live with, but they also present other issues such as difficulty walking, an inactive lifestyle, foot arthritis, and more.
What is a bunion?
Bunions start out as a small bump at the base of your big toe’s joint. The bump gradually develops over time and only gets bigger with every step you take. You’ll notice your bunion developing because your big toe will start leaning towards your second toe, throwing off the bone alignment in your foot.
Most people notice their bunion early on and choose to tolerate the discomfort it brings, but slowly and surely, the bunion gets bigger and becomes painful. If you’re wondering how you even developed the risk of getting bunions in the first place, you have your genes to thank for that. Most of the time bunions are caused by simply inheriting an abnormal bone structure in your feet - which is why you become prone to bunions. Other times, bunions are caused by the type of shoes you wear. For instance, if you are strutting around in narrow-toed shoes on a daily basis, you run the risk of developing bunions.
Living with Bunions
At the site of the bunion, most people experience inflammation, difficulty moving their big toe, and chronic foot pain. All of these symptoms can make it difficult to walk and affect your balance. If you’re older, you know how important balance is because a bad fall can lead to a serious injury. More than 95% of hip fractures in the elderly are caused by falling.
When it comes to treating bunions, there are ways to reduce symptoms without surgery such as switching to shoewear that doesn’t aggravate the bunion further or even just taking pain medications to get through your daily life. However, none of these options will eliminate your bunions because this is a bone structure issue and isn’t reversible without surgery. If you are experiencing great pain and it’s affecting daily activities in your life, your best option just might be surgery.
LapiFuse Bunion Correction Procedure
If you notice your bunion worsening and the pain increasing, then it's time to discuss surgery with us. Fortunately, there is a new and improved surgery hitting the bunion scene and it’s called LapiFuse. In some traditional bunion surgery options, the patient's toe may need to be shortened and large incisions will be made that overall affect the foot’s appearance - but that isn’t the case with the LapiFuse Procedure.
The LapiFuse Bunion Procedure will correct your bunion, preserve the length of your toe, and restore the foot to its natural appearance. The procedure also secures the bunion correction by applying titanium plates to the joint, putting an end to your bunions once and for all. The procedure only takes about 45-60 minutes to complete and recovery for most patients is as simple as keeping the feet elevated for about 10 days, then being placed in a bunion dressing and short walking boot. After 6 weeks the boot will be removed, and patients may be able to wear normal footwear again.
Because the joint movement of the big toe is preserved in the LapiFuse Bunion Correction Procedure, patients will see their mobility improve and be able to get back to their active lifestyle. Bunion pain will be dramatically reduced after the procedure and the likelihood of bunions developing again are slim. Recovery is unique for every patient, and it's important to consult your doctor throughout the recovery process.
The following is a video of procedure.
If you’re ready to put an end to your bunions once and for all and get back to living a comfortable and active lifestyle, then consult with Gulf Coast Foot & Ankle today to learn more about the LapiFuse Bunion Correction Procedure. We’ll have you visit us to discuss if LapiFuse is right for you, and then properly evaluate the area’s bone structure through either X-ray or ultrasound imaging.
Dr. Amanda Mudek will host an event with Stryker on May 10 at 6pm at Vincent's in Metairie to discuss the procedure. Dr. Mudek focuses her practice on sports medicine related issues in podiatry and this is a condition that many runners and former dancers face. If you are interested in attending the event, please see the information below and scan the QR code to register.
