/assets/images/provider/photos/2667386.jpg)
It’s a common misconception that bunion surgery does something along the lines of shaving down the bump at the side of your big toe. Actually, that bunion is much more than a bony protrusion. To effectively correct it, then, you need more sophisticated surgery.
William T. DeCarbo, DPM, FACFAS, and our team can provide precisely that with Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction™ surgery. This moves past traditional bunion surgery techniques to fix the root cause of your bunion: joint misalignment. And it does this with minimally invasive surgical techniques. Here at Greater Pittsburgh Foot & Ankle Center in Wexford, Pennsylvania, Dr. DeCarbo can help you say goodbye to your bunion for good.
What Lapiplasty can do
Dr. DeCarbo only recommends Lapiplasty when more conservative bunion treatments haven’t helped you. He first works with you to explore alternatives, like different footwear or anti-inflammatory medication.
If other treatments don’t bring you relief, though, Lapiplasty likely can. Dr. DeCarbo performs this procedure using minimally invasive surgical techniques, which means everything happens through tiny incisions. The whole procedure usually takes less than two hours.
Rather than applying treatment at the misaligned joint, Lapiplasty applies the correction in a lower portion of your foot. This brings the entire toe joint back into alignment rather than trying to spot-treat the issue. In doing so, it addresses the root of your problem: joint instability. This makes Lapiplasty much more successful in preventing bunions from returning.
Comparing Lapiplasty and traditional bunion surgery
Traditional bunion surgeries have addressed the issue only in two dimensions by essentially pushing your bones into a different alignment. Mostly, the purpose of the surgery is to fix the cosmetic issue of the bony bump on the side of your foot. And even as these surgeries only provide a surface-level fix, they often require extensive downtime.
But Lapiplasty is different. It gives you 3D toe realignment while also minimizing your recovery period.
By addressing the root cause of the joint misalignment, Lapiplasty stabilizes the entire big toe joint. That means you get results that should last.
Plus, with traditional bunion surgery, you can expect up to six weeks in a postoperative shoe with an inability to put any weight on that foot. But with Lapiplasty, most people can put some weight on the foot in a boot within two weeks. They generally return to light activities in the boot over the next 4-6 weeks and are back in comfortable shoes by the eight-week mark.
If you’re living with a bunion, Dr. DeCarbo offers you a path to relief. To start exploring treatments and find out if Lapiplasty could be right for you, call our office or book your appointment online.