Introduction:
Bunions, also known as hallux abducto valgus, is a common foot deformity that occurs when the big toe joint becomes enlarged and misaligned. It is commonly found on the big toe’s joint (metatarsophalangeal joint). Bunions are a more common foot condition in women compared to men, likely due to the weaker connective tissue in their feet and a greater tendency to wear tight-fitting, high-heeled footwear.
What Is Lapiplasty?
Lapiplasty is a patented surgical technique designed to address bunions by targeting the root cause of the issue, which is an unstable joint. It involves realigning the metatarsal bone in three dimensions:
- First, correcting any lateral deviation.
- Second, addressing abnormal rotation, which can lead to discomfort and even arthritis.
- Third, preventing the bone from arching upward and creating pressure on adjacent toes.
This innovative procedure utilizes advanced fixation technology to secure the correction, enabling patients to resume walking within a few days of surgery. Clinical studies have reported success rates of over 90 % with lapiplasty, which is higher than traditional bunion surgery.
What Are the Benefits of Lapiplasty?
Lapiplasty is a surgical technique that offers several benefits over traditional bunion surgery for patients with a bunion. Some benefits of Lapiplasty include the following:
- Faster Recovery: Patients can usually bear weight on their feet immediately after surgery and return to normal activities in as little as six weeks.
- More Permanent Correction: Lapiplasty provides a more permanent correction of the bunion deformity by restoring the foot's normal anatomy.
- Improved Cosmetic Outcome: Lapiplasty involves a smaller incision on the side of the foot, resulting in a less noticeable scar and a more cosmetically appealing outcome
- Lower Risk of Complications: Lapiplasty has a lower risk of complications than other bunion surgery because it is a less invasive technique with a smaller incision.
- Improved Function: This procedure improves function and reduces pain and discomfort because it restores the normal foot.
- Outpatient Procedure: It is typically performed on an outpatient basis, which means patients can go home the same day and do not require an overnight hospital stay.
- High Patient Satisfaction: Patients who have undergone Lapiplasty report high levels of satisfaction with the procedure and can return to their normal activities more quickly and with less pain and discomfort.
Who Is Eligible for Lapiplasty?
The Lapiplasty technique is usually approved for individuals who are 12 years old and above. But the growth plates must be fully formed for it to be effective. However, this may only happen at the age of 14. Provided that the growth plates have fused, the doctor will primarily evaluate the patient's general well-being and the presence of arthritis in the impacted joint.
Some factors that may make a patient a good candidate for Lapiplasty include:
- Patients with an active lifestyle must return to activities as soon as possible.
- Patients who have tried non-surgical treatments for their bunion, such as orthotics or physical therapy, and have not achieved adequate pain relief.
- Patients in good general health, are not overweight, and do not have underlying medical conditions that can interfere with the healing process are good candidates for Lapiplasty.
How Is Lapiplasty Performed?
Lapiplasty is a surgical procedure used to correct bunions, a foot condition that can cause discomfort and pain. The procedure involves repositioning the metatarsal bone and stabilizing it with a titanium plating system. Following are the steps for performing Lapiplasty.
- Anesthesia: The patient is given either general anesthesia or a nerve block to numb the foot.
- Incision: A small incision is made on the side of the foot where the bunion is located.
- Soft Tissue Release: The soft tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) are carefully released to expose the metatarsal bone.
- Correction of Bone: The Lapiplasty Positioner is designed to efficiently and consistently realign the metatarsal and sesamoid bone by addressing all three planes of misalignment, thereby establishing and maintaining accurate anatomical alignment.
- Metatarsal Osteotomy: The Lapiplasty Cut Guide enables accurate cutting while keeping the metatarsal bone in the corrected alignment. It ensures the ideal cutting path with an average metatarsal shortening of only 2.4 to 3.1 mm.
- Compression: The compressor applies precise and controlled compression of more than 150 Newton to the accurately cut joint surfaces while maintaining correction in all three planes.
- Fixation of Bone: The plating system is secured using locking screws, and the bone is compressed to achieve stability and optimal healing. The titanium plating system aligns the bone in all three dimensions, restoring the foot's natural anatomy.
- Wound Closure: The soft tissues are sutured back into place, and a sterile dressing is applied to the incision site.
- Recovery: The patient is monitored for a short time to ensure no complications and then sent to a recovery area. Depending on the surgeon's preference, patients may be allowed to bear weight on foot immediately or may need to use crutches or a special walking boot for a few weeks.
What Is the Advantage of Lapiplasty Over Traditional Bunion Surgery?
- One of the primary advantages of Lapiplasty over traditional bunion surgery is that it enables patients to return to normal activities much more quickly. Patients who undergo Lapiplasty can usually bear weight on their foot immediately after surgery and can return to normal activities within six weeks. This is in contrast to traditional bunion surgery, which can require several months of recovery before patients can resume normal activities.
- Another advantage of Lapiplasty is that it offers a more permanent solution to the bunion problem. Traditional bunion surgery can result in the recurrence of the bunion, which means that patients may need to undergo additional surgeries in the future. However, Lapiplasty has a low recurrence rate, which means that patients are less likely to experience a return of their bunion.
- Lapiplasty is also a more cosmetically appealing option for bunion surgery. Traditional bunion surgery can result in a noticeable scar on the top of the foot. Lapiplasty only requires a small incision on the side of the foot. This means that patients are left with a less noticeable scar, which can improve the overall appearance of their foot.
What Are the Complications of Lapiplasty?
Lapiplasty may be associated with few risks and complications like any surgical procedure, though they are generally rare. Some of the possible complications include the following:
- Infection: Any surgical procedure carries a risk of infection. The surgeon will take precautions to reduce the risk of infection, but it may still occur in some cases.
- Nerve Damage: Lapiplasty may involve the manipulation of nerves in the foot, which can result in temporary or permanent nerve damage.
- Delayed or Nonunion of Bone: Lapiplasty involves the correction of bone deformities, which means that there is a small risk of delayed or nonunion of bone. This means that the bones may not heal together as they should or may take longer to heal than expected.
- Hardware Complications: Lapiplasty involves using metal plates and screws to stabilize the bones during healing. There is a risk that the hardware may become loose, migrate, or break, which may require additional surgery to correct.
Conclusion:
Lapiplasty is a safe and effective alternative to traditional bunion surgery. It is less invasive, has a lower risk of complications, and provides a more permanent deformity correction. If someone is suffering from a bunion, they should talk to the doctor about whether this procedure may be the right choice for their condition.
