Bunions. No one likes to talk about them but more people have them than you think. Doctors perform about half a million surgeries every year.
But now one Florida doctor has invented a surgery to fix bunions.
A Vero Beach woman is one of 10 people in the world so far to undergo what's being dubbed a revolutionary new surgery for fixing bunions.
"There are stories about what a traumatic and painful surgery it is. That has not been the case at all with this," said the patient Nancy.
Her surgeon, Dr. Bradley Lamm at the Paley Institute in West Palm Beach has spent the last five years inventing an internal device and step by step technique. It's called the mini bunion by crossroads.
"The reason this is so successful and last forever is that it corrects the bone alignment and soft tissue alignment all in one surgery through a small incision," said Dr. Lamm.
Dr. Lamm said bunions are common ailments. A bump on the inside of the big toes, which causes the big toe to drift towards second toe.
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But the pain caused by them can be extreme.
He thought up a minimally invasive surgery where a tiny device is entered through a tiny incision.
"You get better motion and quicker recovery. Back on their feet and regular shoes in one month," said Dr. Lamm.
Now a burdensome bunion is a thing of the past for a once active woman who loved walking and swimming.
"I'm hoping to be able to get back into it again and that's very exciting for me because I gave up so much that I loved," said Nancy.
Bunions can be caused by wearing tight, narrow shoes but some also develop as a result of an inherited structural defect.
