Bunion Deformity Specialist

3-dimensional bunion correction is the most stable bunion correction technique available. The results are reliable and patients can walk on the same day of surgery.

Bunion Deformity Q & A

What is a Bunion?

A bunion is a deformity of the forefoot where a bump occurs next to the big toe.

How did I get a Bunion?

A question commonly asked is, how did I get a bunion?

So far, the only clear explanation is that bunions are caused by genetics. Someone in your family has had bunions before and this gene was passed on.

How is  Bunion Diagnosed?

A bunion can be diagnosed clinically but x-rays are needed to determine the severity of the bunion deformity.

How is a Bunion treated?

There are a few conservative measures you can take to help reduce the pain caused by a bunion, unfortunately there are no reliable, scientifically tested measure to prevent a bunion from forming or worsening.

Some conservative measures include, wider shoes, different shoes, padding, injections and activity modification. In general, conservative measures are taken to reduce pain caused by the enlarged prominence to the medial head of the first metatarsal.

There are literally over 100 surgical procedures to correct a bunion. However, in recent years we have learned that a bunion is formed in 3 different planes and actually, is a deformity of a joint more in the midfoot rather than a deformity next to the big toe; the medial prominence by the big toe is the manifestation of the joint deformity.

With older bunion procedures, up to 70% of bunions can return. With the new procedure called Lapiplasty, there is a significantly reduction in the number of bunions that fall out of correction. The reason there is a reduced occurrence of recurring bunions is because the new procedure treats the deformity by correcting the cause of the deformity, not simply trimming the bump off of the protruding bone.

Another advantage of the new technique is that a patient can walk the day of surgery. The advancements in bunion correction technology have allowed for superior stability of the bunion correction. This is also another benefit that reduces the recurrence of bunion deformities.

Sometimes patients will have had a bunion procedure in the past and the bunion deformity will return. This is because older procedures were not aimed at addressing the underlying cause of the bunion. Lapiplasty bunion correction can repair the bunion deformity that has resurfaced. 

For more information, click the link below:

Lapiplasty Link: https://www.lapiplasty.com/find-a-doctor/doctors/mccabe-matthew/