Acting and Globetrotting—Without Bunion Pain

I have always been on my feet. When I want to get some exercise, I play tennis. For work, I developed a successful home staging business before becoming a professional background actress. For more than 15 years, I lived with bunions on both of my feet. At first, I managed the painful and progressive condition using custom shoe inserts, but when I was no longer able to play tennis without pain, I knew I needed to find a more effective solution[1].

Bunions occur when unstable joints in the mid foot slide out of place. 25% of Americans suffer from the condition and it often runs in families[2],[3]. What many think of as a simple cosmetic issue is actually a complex deformity that can disrupt any part of a patient’s daily routine[4]. I was forced to stop playing tennis and I could no longer enjoy sightseeing while traveling anymore. I even had trouble playing the piano because I could not press down on the pedals without experiencing excruciating foot pain.

Once my bunions started to worsen, I had to change almost everything I was doing. While planning my wedding I was excited to wear a beautiful pair of designer shoes, but I couldn’t fit into them. It felt like I couldn’t wear any of the shoes I liked.

I knew about traditional procedures to correct bunions, but the risk of recurrence made me hesitant to seek treatment[5]. When the bunion on my right foot started to form a hole in my shoe, I knew it was time to act. After visiting a local podiatrist, I was referred to Dr. Bradley Lind of Foot & Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic in Harrisburg, North Carolina. Dr. Lind told me about Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction™, a procedure that uses a series of patented titanium plates to correct the bunion in all three dimensions[6]. The surgery also addresses the cosmetic bump on the side of the big toe. A few weeks after my initial consultation appointment, I underwent the Lapiplasty® Procedure on my right foot in July 2021. After successfully recovering from my first procedure, I had my left foot corrected in September 2021.

Everything about my recovery felt simple. I followed Dr. Lind’s instructions and was almost never in pain. When I felt discomfort it was easy for me to manage using ice and Tylenol. During my recovery, I was able to watch some of my favorite shows, but I was not on the couch for long. Only four weeks after surgery, Dr. Lind cleared me based on my recovery to travel to New York City, where I explored Times Square while wearing my walking boot. We try to take a walking tour in every new city we visit while traveling.

Following my successful surgeries, I have been able to return to the activities I love. I completed a trip to Portugal, Germany and Spain in August 2022 and I already have plans to go to Chile. I also started working on new projects for my background acting, such as Showtime’s George & Tammy and the upcoming feature film, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

As an actor, there are often 12-hour work days where you have to be ready and on your feet. I would not be able to do this work if I still had bunion pain. When I worked on HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, I was in a stadium filled with other background actors and I had to quickly move to different locations in the venue. It required a lot of physical activity.

One piece of advice I would give to others considering undergoing Lapiplasty® would be to take into account how your life might change if you no longer had to deal with daily bunion pain.

Dr. Lind is an amazing surgeon and a great guy. There have been several people on my tennis team that I have referred to him. Every patient is different, but I had such a great experience with my surgeries!

For more information about the Lapiplasty® Procedure™, visit www.Lapiplasty.com. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Lind, call 704-455-2999 or visit www.FootAndAnkle-USA.com.

Only a surgeon can tell if Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction™ is right for you. As with any medical treatment, individual results may vary and this experience is unique and specific to this patient only. There are potential risks with surgery and recovery takes time. Potential risks include, but are not limited to: infection, discomfort from the presence of the implant, loosening of the implant, and loss of correction with nonunion or malunion.

[1] American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) Website ©2019.

[2] American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) Website ©2019, WebMD Website ©2019.

[3] Nix S, et al. J Foot Ankle Res. 2010. 27:3:21.

[4] American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) Website ©2018, WebMD Website ©2018.

[5] Jeuken RM, et al. Foot Ankle Int. 2016. 37:687-95.

[6] Dayton P, et al. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2016. 55:567-71.