When it comes to people suffering from foot pain, I find most aren’t sure where to turn. They may first make an appointment with their general physician to troubleshoot their pain or visit their local pharmacy for over-the-counter remedies. But what I try to teach is that any time you’re experiencing foot and ankle pain or have a serious injury, it’s best to start with the physician who specifically specializes in providing care to this important part of your body—a foot and ankle surgeon.
Foot and ankle surgeons are the foot and ankle experts. If you were in need of heart surgery, you wouldn’t see a general physician to perform your heart surgery; you would want someone who is an expert in heart surgery. Same with your feet and ankles—it’s best to see the right experts to properly diagnose and treat the very part of you that helps you get around.
Today’s foot and ankle surgeons are not your father’s physician; we are a new generation of specialists and are the leading experts in foot and ankle care—both surgically and nonsurgically. We diagnose and treat all conditions affecting people’s feet and ankles—from the simple to the complex—in adults and children. Our training includes four years at a foot and ankle medical school and a minimum three-year foot and ankle surgical residency program. We are certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery in foot surgery and/or reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery.
On a typical day, I can start my day in surgery repairing a patient’s hammertoe, bunion deformity or an Achilles tendon rupture and end my day caring for ligament issues, diabetic foot conditions, ankle sprains, fractures and heel pain in my office without surgery. Either way, my patients get the expert diagnosis by a qualified foot and ankle surgeon to get them back on their feet and to their daily lives.