Bunions, those bony bumps at the base of the big toe, can be painful and disrupt a person’s daily living – even making walking painful. Approximately 25 percent of people in the U.S. have bunions, including Cherie Merrill, from Monroe, who suffered in pain for nine months.

“I’m on my feet 90 percent of the day as executive director of the Belfast Food Kitchen, and my seven grandkids keep me very active,” says Merrill. But Merrill notes, “After this awful bunion developed, I had to slow down, and by the end of each day, I was in so much pain, I couldn’t even walk. It started as a minor pain in my left foot, and progressed to worse pain as the months went on.”

After being told that different shoes could fix her issue (which it did not), Merrill was happy to learn about an innovative new bunion surgery performed at Northern Light Inland Hospital, in Waterville, and Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital, in Pittsfield. Podiatric surgeons are helping people like Merrill get back on their feet using a new tool in their toolbox – a special surgery called Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction®.

Dr. Ashley Mychak, DPM, podiatric surgeon with Northern Light Podiatry, in Pittsfield, is very excited about Lapiplasty®. Dr. Mychak explains, “It offers a 3D correction of the bunion at the root of the problem which is an unstable joint in the midfoot. Addressing the bunion where the deformity occurs allows for better long-term correction and decreases the risk of the bunion returning. We have seen that this special surgical procedure allows for earlier weightbearing on the foot in a surgical boot and a quicker return to normal shoes than with other types of bunion surgeries.”

Dr. Jared Wilkinson, DPM, with Northern Light Podiatry in Waterville shares, “A common misconception is that a bunion can just be shaved off, but bunions are much more complicated than that. Lapiplasty® allows us to return the bone to its proper alignment.” Dr. Wilkinson adds that the procedure is still bone surgery, which takes time to heal. “Each patient’s experience will be individual, but we are typically seeing great results overall. It is very gratifying to help people get back to their favorite activities and walking in their regular shoes without pain.”

Bunions can appear in people of all ages, both male and female. While Lapiplasty® addresses the unstable joint, it also corrects the cosmetic appearance of the protruding bunion.

Dr. Wilkinson and Dr. Rich Samson perform the special surgery at Inland Hospital and Dr. Mychak at Sebasticook Valley Hospital.

At Merrill’s eight-week post-surgery checkup, Dr. Mychak called her progress excellent. Merrill is walking without her surgical boot, and she’s feeling very encouraged about her recovery so far. While each situation is different, typically, patients can get back into comfortable shoes, like tennis shoes, approximately eight weeks after the procedure.

Merrill is grateful for this new step forward. “It’s exciting to think about getting my quality of life back. I am determined not to be limping and missing out on activities when we go camping this summer with all the kids. And I’m motivated because I still have a long bucket list of dreams to achieve!”

Most insurances cover the surgery if medically necessary. Ask your primary care provider for a referral to Northern Light Podiatry, in Pittsfield or Waterville, or for more information visit northernlight.org/Bunions.

Displaying continued commitment to the health of its patients, colleagues, and community, Northern Light Health has been selected as the newest member of the Health Care Climate Council. Northern Light is leading the way in minimizing its environmental effects while providing excellent care in a sustainable manner.

Northern Light’s focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction is a key component of its efforts, as it recently signed the Health Sector Pledge to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. So far, Northern Light Health has reduced its emissions by about 10 percent since 2021. Additionally, Northern Light recently completed a Climate Resiliency Plan to address operational risks and vulnerabilities related to extreme weather events and the changing disease burden.

“Northern Light Health is proud to join the Health Care Climate Council, which is leading the health care sector’s urgent response to climate change,” said Tim Doak, chief environmental sustainability officer. “Our bottom-line goal is to help people lead healthy and happy lives. Working to make Northern Light Health a leader in emissions reduction furthers our mission and supports our patients and community.”

Established by Health Care Without Harm, the Health Care Climate Council is a leadership body of health systems committed to protecting their patients and employees from the health effects of climate change and becoming anchors for resilient communities.

Together, the 19 member systems represent 500 hospitals in 28 states and 250 Congressional districts with a total annual operating revenue of more than $180 billion and more than one million employees.

Health Care Climate Council members implement innovative climate solutions, inspire and support others to act, and use their trusted voice and purchasing power to move policy and markets to drive the transformation to climate-smart healthcare.

“We are delighted to welcome Northern Light Health to the U.S. Health Care Climate Council,” said Jessica Wolff, Health Care Without Harm’s U.S. director for Climate and Health. “With the addition of Northern Light, the Climate Council further demonstrates its commitment to the sector’s transition to 100 percent renewable energy and climate-smart healthcare. We are looking forward to continuing our work with the Climate Council on ambitious mitigation and resilience initiatives and harnessing the powerful voice of its members to help patients, staff, and communities understand that climate change is about health.”