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Podiatrists aren't the only option OrthoAdvice™ for your foot and ankle care

By Erin Dean, M.D.

I have a quick quiz for you: Who would podiatrists complete seven years of you see for the following issues? education and training. They attend a podiatric medical school for four years • Arthritis in your knee and spend another three years at a hos- • Carpal tunnel syndrome in your hand pital-based residency program. Some • A torn rotator cuff in your shoulder podiatrists may complete fellowship training after that. • Degenerative disc disease in your back Due to our additional qualifications, Chances are, you responded that you orthopaedic specialists are able to get would see an orthopaedic surgeon who to the root of your foot and ankle pain. specializes in the knee, hand, shoulder You may be surprised to know that at or spine for those respective conditions. least once a week, patients come to Now, what about a bunion or a see me with what they believe is a foot hammertoe? Before you answer, “a issue but is actually a lumbar spine podiatrist,” think again. It’s a common issue including stenosis or degenerative misconception that many people think disc disease. There’s significant inter- podiatrists are the only option for play between the biomechanics of the treating foot and ankle issues. spine, hips, knees and feet. Our broad medical training helps us to distinguish As with the knee, hand, shoulder, spine where the real problem lies. and hip subspecialties in orthopaedics, there are also orthopaedic foot and ankle Orthopaedic foot and ankle physicians specialists. While podiatrists often care treat everything that podiatrists do for many of the same conditions that except for general nail care and fungal nail infections. We treat common foot Dr. Dean is a board-certified, orthopaedic foot and ankle physicians fellowship-trained orthopaedic foot and ankle conditions — like arthritis, treat, our education differs significantly. and ankle surgeon. A graduate of bunions, callouses, corns, hammertoes, Orthopaedic foot and ankle specialists the Ohio State University College of plantar fasciitis, tendon issues and Medicine, she served her residency attend four years of medical school trauma — and provide diabetic foot care. where we study the whole human body. in orthopaedic surgery at Summa This is the same educational foundation Just because we’re surgeons doesn’t Health System and completed a as cardiologists, gastroenterologists and mean we’re always eager to operate on fellowship in foot and ankle at other specialists. After medical school, our patients. We do quite a bit of non- Campbell Clinic in Memphis, we go on to complete a five-year ortho- operative care and always look for what Tennessee. Dean is a member of several medical societies, including paedic residency, learning more about we can do to get our patients better the American Orthopaedic Foot orthopaedics in general, including the short of using a scalpel. and Ankle Society. She has been a spine, total joints, hand, shoulder, foot Your foot or ankle trouble doesn’t physician since 2007. and ankle. We also focus on topics such necessarily have to be severe to see an as joint biomechanics and the physics of orthopaedic foot and ankle specialist. orthopaedic hardware design and func- Many patients have told me they were tion. Beyond that, we spend another hesitant to call for an appointment year in fellowship training, with that because they believed their issue wasn’t time specifically devoted to foot and bad enough to warrant evaluation by ankle conditions and care. This totals an orthopaedic surgeon. Believe me: 10 years of education and training. Whether you have a callous, a ham- In contrast, according to the American mertoe, a shattered ankle or something Podiatric Medical Association website, in between, we are happy to assist with maintaining your foot and ankle health. To learn more, visit crystalclinic.com or call 1-888-502-3041.