How Lapiplasty Has Revolutionized Bunion Correction Surgery
Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction surgery has been termed as a paradigm shift in bunion correction. It uses patented technology to not only correct the bunion, but also its root cause—thereby ensuring the bunion doesn’t come back.
According to experts, bunions aren’t simply bumps on the big toe, but rather a three-dimensional deformity that the Lapiplasty surgery addresses.
The technology straightens the three-dimensional alignment of the metatarsal bone. The surgeon corrects the sideways lean of the bone and stops the abnormal rotation. This prevents the metatarsal bone from arching and putting stress on the other toes.
The Lapiplasty procedure uses a standard technique for tri-plane correction and fixation; it uses titanium plates and screws to yield consistent and reproducible results for bunions of all severity levels.
How It Differs From Conventional Bunion Surgery
Before the introduction of Lapiplasty, most bunions were corrected using a ‘2D’ surgical procedure, known as an osteotomy. The procedure restored the normal shape of the foot by cutting the out-of-alignment bone and repositioning it along a single plane of movement.
While osteotomy did restore the normal shape of the foot, the major issue was that it didn’t address the fundamental cause of bunions. This meant that even if the bunion itself may have been ‘fixed’, the underlying conditions still remained.
Majority of bunions are in fact a three dimensional misalignment—meaning that the metatarsal bone is not just horizontally and vertically out of place, but it is also misaligned rotationally. Since osteotomies didn’t fix this fundamental instability, the recurrence rate was high. In fact, a study showed that among the patients who had undergone osteotomy procedures, 11 out of 17 patients experienced reoccurrence of their bunions at the final follow-up.
How Lapiplasty Makes a Difference
Unlike the osteotomy’s two-dimensional solution, Lapiplasty surgery completely restores the affected foot to its anatomically normal position. It fixes the instability of the joint at the root, providing more dependable results.
The procedure repositions the metatarsal bone sideways, vertically and rotationally—in all three dimensions—without cutting the bone. This eliminates the bunion naturally, straightens out the toes and aligns all the bones in precise position. Next, the underlying cause is fixed by securing the unstable joint with specialized titanium plates.
Major Benefits of the Surgery
Lapiplasty surgery offers a range of advantages like:
Minimal Incision
The surgeon doesn’t have to cut freehand during the Lapiplasty procedure, rather a patented instrument holds the bone in place in all three dimensions. This eliminates the variability of freehand cuts.
Moreover, it’s a minimally invasive process with faster tissue healing, less scarring and reduced risk of post-surgical infections.
Rapid Results
The Lapiplasty surgery isn’t just revolutionary for the surgeons, but also for the patients. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, allowing the patients to go home the same day. Plus, the surgery time is reduced from 2 hours to 30 minutes, with far less pain and swelling.
It offers faster recovery, allowing patients to begin bearing weight (using a boot) within a few days of the procedure.
Low Recurrence Rate
The ‘patient-friendly’ alternative offers a significantly lower chance of recurrence. In fact, data from different centers have shown that almost 100% patients who had undergone Lapiplasty surgery maintained correction after a year.
Find out more about the bunion treatment in Miami from the board certified foot surgeons at The Foot & Ankle Institute of Miami Beach.