Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction™ with Dr. Gregory Rouw
With 30 years of experience and a flourishing practice, Dr. Gregory Rouw knows a thing or two about issues of the foot and ankle!
As a committed figure skater in his youth, Dr. Gregory Rouw has been familiar with the field of podiatry for many years. During his figure skating career, he met an excellent podiatrist who inspired him to pursue the profession. After 16 years working in the field, he teamed up with his wife, Dr. Karen Rouw, to build their practice. The duo is well respected in the community and has helped many Central Minnesotans return to the healthy lifestyles they love!
Like other podiatrists at St. Cloud Surgical Center, one of the things Dr. Rouw loves most about the foot is the challenge it brings. The human foot is very complex, comprised of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments that provide support, balance, and mobility. For the mechanism to work correctly, all of these pieces must work seamlessly together; even the slightest disruption to the foot mechanism can cause extreme pain. One of the most common disruptions we see are bunions, and if not corrected, they can cause further issues, including hammertoes, arthritis, and more.
It is the goal of all surgeons to treat patients’ issues using conservative methods. However, they may not permanently alleviate the pain from bunions, and surgery is necessary. You may be a strong candidate for surgery if you’re experiencing one or more of the following symptoms that have gone uncorrected following conservative measures:
- Deformations of the foot
- Unable to fit into proper shoewear
- Ongoing pain or aching in the joint
- Deformities start to appear on other toes
- Pain under the ball of the foot
At St. Cloud Surgical Center, Dr. Rouw uses the Lapiplasty® procedure for bunionectomies. Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction™ is a patented, advanced design to correct all three dimensions of the bunion at the root of the problem, i.e., the unstable joint. Dr. Rouw prefers this procedure because it allows for more precision when correcting the deformity by using specific instrumentation. In turn, patients are back to their daily activities sooner! Learn how Lapiplasty® works here.
The biggest thing for patients after surgery is the timeline for recovery. While every surgery and patient is different, the typical recovery for bunion surgery using the Lapiplasty® procedure is 4 to 6 months. A typical timeline is outlined below.
At two weeks, patients can begin to bear weight on their foot.
In the next four to six weeks, patients can walk in their boot and return to light activities.
At six to eight weeks, patients can transition into regular shoes.
About four to six months, most patients will resume activities and return to normal footwear.
While the recovery time is not short, the result of walking without pain and returning to your favorite footwear is undoubtedly a win for patients!
For more information on Dr. Gregory Rouw and his current practice, visit Central MN Foot & Ankle.
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