Since the age of 10, Anastasia Woods can remember always struggling with her feet. Going to the store to pick out a pair of shoes was never a fun outing, it was a dreaded one.
“I always wore shoes that were two sizes too big and I always kind of had to pick out ‘man’ shoes because shoes that were my size and cute were either too tight or uncomfortable. If I did pick a shoe it would be too small of a shoe; I just wouldn’t end up wearing them,” she said.
Woods suffered from bunions on both feet. A bunion is a bony bump that forms on the joint where your big toe meets your foot — called the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. It happens slowly over time, and eventually gets bigger and sticks out.
In 2020, her bunion pain had gotten so extreme that it affected every aspect of her life, including her passion for exercise. When she finally sought help, she was no longer able to wear shoes. She had a bunionectomy performed on both feet, but the procedure wasn’t effective.
“I couldn’t leave my house for two months. I got very depressed. I couldn’t do anything, and if I wanted anything people had to take me to get it done,” she shared.
After a year with no relief, she turned to Quincy Medical Group (QMG) and QMG Podiatrist Shwetal Patel, DPM, for help.
“I took it upon myself to find Dr. Patel because I knew it needed to be corrected,” she shared. “Bunions are hereditary, so those close to me told me I needed to get a second opinion.”
Dr. Patel recognized the severity of Woods’ condition and recommended Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction. Lapiplasty does more than simply remove “the bump”; it addresses a patient’s bunion in three dimensions to correct the root of the problem.
She was hesitant at first because of her prior experience, but Woods was ready to get her life back and be active once again. Dr. Patel performed Lapiplasty on her feet in December of 2021 and the outcome was a success. So successful, in fact, that she couldn’t hide her emotions at her next visit with Dr. Patel.
“He made me cry actually. I could wear shoes. I could do my daily life. I just cried and hugged him. I bawled because I was just so happy that he fixed it,” she shared. “Every time I go in there, I’m just so excited that he fixed me.”
For more information on Lapiplastly at QMG, click here.