Lindsay Rae's Story

A Busy Life Limited by Bunions

While Lindsay Rae didn’t let her bunions stop her from working, she requested multiple days off between shifts to recover from the pain. “I was shuffling out at the end of work… I could barely walk,” she says.

Other favorite activities, such as playing with her young daughter, working out, and running, became more and more limited as her bunions got worse.

“I backed off on running and working out. I was at a 10 out of 10 in terms of pain when not doing activities, and doing activities and working were nearly impossible at this point,” Lindsay Rae explains.

At 5 ft 2 in tall, Lindsay Rae loves wearing high heels when not at work, but had to consider every shoe choice because of bunion pain.

Even more devastating, she wasn’t able to keep up with her daughter during playtime, particularly for more active outings such as to the park and playground, and often had to hire a babysitter to help.

Lindsay Rae tried toe spacers and other nonoperative bunion correctors to try to reduce the pain. Nothing helped.

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A Family History of Bunions and Bunion Surgery

Lindsay Rae has suffered from bunions on both feet since she was a teenager, an inherited condition that her mother and two grandmothers also suffer from. The pageants she competed in through college meant regular high heel wear, which made the pain and swelling even worse.

Although bunions were limiting her life, Lindsay Rae was dead-set against undergoing bunion surgery before learning about the Arthrex Minimally Invasive Bunionectomy.

Both her mother and mother-in-law had negative experiences with traditional bunion surgery.They told Lindsay Rae about their long recoveries and how painful their procedures were. Neither returned to full range of motion and they often still have pain worse than what they experienced with bunions, Lindsay Rae explains.

“I didn’t want to regret the surgery. Once you take away mobility you aren’t going to get it back,” she says. “But there had to be a better way to live. I couldn’t be in pain all the time.”

In 2021, Lindsay Rae finally decided to look into whether surgical options for bunions had evolved since her mother and mother-in-law underwent surgery.

From her work in the operating room, Lindsay Rae knew a surgeon trained in the Arthrex Minimally Invasive Bunionectomy and had seen firsthand the barely there incisions¹ he used to perform the procedure—an important factor for her. “I was never going to do something that leaves a huge scar on my foot.”

Lindsay Rae’s surgeon also told her about the quicker recovery of the Arthrex Bunionectomy as compared to other procedures,^1,2 an essential consideration due to her active lifestyle.

The surgeon encouraged her to visit BunionPain.com  to read more about the procedure, how it differs from traditional bunion surgery and other surgical options, and what real Arthrex Bunionectomy patients had to say about their experiences.

In contrast to the stories she’d heard from her mother and mother-in-law, on BunionPain.com she read stories of successful, less painful recoveries and saw patients engaged in activities she loved.

“It was life changing. My mind was so set, and to learn there was a different way to go about it was amazing,” she says.

Lindsay Rae ultimately chose to undergo a bilateral surgery, or one performed on both feet at the same time. While not for all patients, she knew she would be proactive with her recovery and her surgeon felt she was a good candidate to get the dual surgery.

Arthrex Minimally Invasive Bunionectomy Exceeds Her Expectations

Lindsay Rae underwent surgery in early 2022. She was surprised she could stand immediately afterward. While she experienced postoperative pain when her feet were not elevated, it never reached the same intensity as her bunion pain at its worst—or anywhere near the levels following traditional surgery that her family members warned her about,^1,2 she says.

“I was so scared of the pain because I had built it up in my head… and I could not believe I wasn’t having pain the way I did before surgery,” Lindsay Rae says.

Lindsay Rae was pleased to experience the quicker recovery^1,2 she’d read about on BunionPain.com

She returned to full range of motion, can wear her favorite shoes without fear of pain and embarrassment, and is no longer in pain at work or at play.

She was elated to be able to return to her favorite workouts. She enjoys a strenuous Pilates class requiring a lot of balance and even signed up for a Spartan Race®—which incorporates running and obstacles such as climbing walls, carrying heavy objects, and rope swinging—just 7 months after her surgery.

At the end of the race, “everything was hurting except for my feet!” Lindsay Rae exclaims.

Now, she tells health care colleagues about the Arthrex Minimally Invasive Bunionectomy and encourages them to find a doctor in their area.

“I’m very glad and very grateful I got the Arthrex Bunionectomy,” she says. “If other people knew about this they would not be going the traditional route.”