I recently underwent a calcaneus/cuboid fusion after 4 years of taping, orthotics, steroid injections (8 shots to be exact). I had the surgery done by a podiatrist. A friend of mine asked me why a podiatrist rather then an orthopedic surgeon. I could come up with no really good reason except the podiatrist works on just feet and ankles etc.. She actually got me thinking and seeing your website made me want to ask. Is there a good reason to choose a podiatrist over an orthopedic surgeon for foot surgery?

             Claudia M

Sometimes the podiatrist is the best choice and sometimes it is the orthopedist. Orthopedists are fantastic doctors. They spend 4 years after medical school learning their craft and they can do amazing things to (and with) the body. GBDs (general bone doctors) can repair fractures, including the ankle, inject most kinds of nerve entrapments and help with many other foot difficulties. For more sophisticated problems with the feet, some orthopedists have extra training. These "foot and ankle" orthopedists are very capable of doing the most complex of foot surgeries. Podiatrists have from one to three years of surgical training in the foot and ankle after graduating from 4 years of podiatry school. Most podiatrists who have completed a two or three year residency are also very talented around the foot and can do most any foot surgery with finesse. For your foot surgery, pick a surgeon who does a lot of whatever it is you are going to have done. In general, a busy podiatric surgeon and a busy foot and ankle orthopedist are the ones who do enough foot and ankle surgery to keep sharp. The GBD generally (but not always) does not do more than a few foot surgeries a year, instead concentrating on knee arthroscopies, joint replacements, injuries, fractures and lumps and bumps.

There are some problems where podiatry is probably the preferred surgeon. A possibly infected corn on a toe is probably best treated by a podiatrist. We can clean and flush the wound in the office, prescribe the antibiotic, provide the healing shoe, provide special shoes afterwards and plan the eventual surgical procedure for the toe to prevent the problem from coming back. Dermatologists can clean the wound and prescribe the antibiotic but are not the ones to manage the bone infection.  An orthopedist can clean the wound (but rarely in the office) and do the toe surgery but are not the experts at the daily management of the wound and not likely to be involved in shoe modifications and padding of the corns.

Good podiatrists, like all good doctors, will do only those procedures they are comfortable with and will refer you to an expert for problems beyond their scope of practice.