Mayo Clinic Doctor First to Perform Lapiplasty® Procedure In MN

February 19, 2018 – Nathan Sanders, who practices podiatry and wound care at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, is using a new surgical procedure to treat bunions by correcting the source of the problem: its base.

Whereas there are over 100 surgical procedures that have been described to treat bunions, Dr. Sanders compares them to an analogy of cutting the Tower of Pisa in half and correcting only the top few floors. What had been left, unaddressed, by previous surgical procedures is the tilt.

With the Lapiplasty® Procedure, the patient’s bone is realigned at its base and plated into place. This is an anatomical correction that moves the bone back into its normal position.

According to Dr. Paul Dayton, a surgical advisor for Treace Medical Concepts who manufactures the Lapiplasty® instrumentation, patients can experience quicker return to some weight-bearing activities than with other methods. Patients can walk within days of surgery. And, the Lapiplasty® Procedure reduces the chance of having to correct the problem again later.

The Lapiplasty® Procedure is an outpatient surgery lasting about an hour. Dr. Sanders has performed approximately 12 procedures to date and there are now six other doctors trained on the procedure in MN.

The opinions of Dr. Nathan Sanders and Dr. Paul Dayton are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Treace Medical Concepts, Inc.

Any results are specific to this individual only. The Lapiplasty® Procedure allows many patients to put weight on their foot within days after surgery. Actual time to weight bearing will vary, but typically ranges from immediately after surgery to 2-3 weeks.1 Individual results and activity levels after surgery vary and depend on many factors including age, weight and prior activity level. There are risks and recovery times associated with surgery and there are certain individuals who should not undergo surgery.

1 Smith B, et. al. 2017 AOFAS Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA

Reference Link

Podiatrist helping patients get back on their feet after bunion procedures

M053 RevA