Lapiplasty

Lapiplasty® is an innovative new approach to permanent bunion correction. At Susz Podiatry & Wound Care, elite foot surgeon and board-certified podiatrist John Susz, DPM, FACFAS, and his team offer Lapiplasty on an outpatient basis in their Westfield and Lakewood offices in New York, and their additional office in Russell, Pennsylvania.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do bunions develop?

Bunions were once believed to be a fairly simple problem in which the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint at the base of your big toe gravitates outwards to make a bony bump. But, thanks to imaging technology advances, experts now understand more about bunion structure and how they start. Bunions involve both outward bone gravitation and rotation of the bone — both of these things happen because of instability in the middle part of the foot.

What is Lapiplasty?

Lapiplasty is a minimally invasive method of bunion surgery. It’s the first surgical approach to focus on treating the root cause of bunions at their source, which gives you a truly complete bunion correction.

What is the Lapiplasty process?

The Lapiplasty procedure has a limited incision size and is performed on an outpatient basis in the Susz Podiatry & Wound Care office. You’ll receive local anesthesia for the procedure so that you won’t be in pain. The team returns the protruding and rotated bone to its proper position during the procedure using specialized instruments. This removes the bunion bump without requiring any cutting or shaving of the bone.

The team also returns the midfoot bone involved to the ideal position and uses titanium-plated hardware to secure it. This part of the procedure corrects the unstable “foundation” that’s causing the bunion.

How long until I can walk after Lapiplasty?

You can return to walking wearing a boot in just 3-10 days after Lapiplasty. Most patients are walking within just a few days. After traditional bunion surgery, you can’t bear weight on your foot or walk for up to six weeks.

Will my bunion come back after Lapiplasty?

Lapiplasty has excellent long-term results because it corrects all the problems involved in bunions at their source. At 17 months post-surgery, 99% of patients maintain their results. In contrast, traditional bunion surgery has a recurrence rate of nearly 25%. This is likely because procedures like bunionectomy involve cutting and shaving the bone but doesn’t stabilize the midfoot, where the problem originated.