South Florida Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine

Podiatry

Your Podiatry Experts

Foot and ankle issues can keep you from enjoying your day-­to­-day life no matter your age and activity level. The muscles, tendons, bones and joints of the foot and ankle work together to help you walk, run, balance and jump; and if one element is not functioning properly the entire body can be affected, even the hips and spine. Left untreated, damage can become worse and lead to long-term loss of function.

Injuries to the foot and ankle can occur from overuse, age or trauma and treatment methods often range from noninvasive options such as bracing and physical therapy to reconstructive surgery when deemed necessary by our board certified surgeons.

If you’re dealing with pain or loss of functionality, call (772) 223-8816 or click here to request your appointment with one of our foot and ankle specialists to take the first step toward getting back to your life without pain.

Meet Our Podiatry Experts

Podiatry FAQs

A podiatrist, also called a doctor of podiatric medicine, is a specialist who provides medical and surgical treatment of foot and ankle problems, including, but not limited to ankle arthritis and achilles tendon ruptures, sprains and fractures, bunions, heel pain/spurs, hammertoes, neuromas.

After four years of undergraduate, pre-med studies, a podiatric surgeon attends four years of medical school followed by three years of surgical residency.

Bunions develop when the pressures of bearing and shifting your weight fall unevenly on the joints and tendons in your feet. This imbalance in pressure makes your big toe joint unstable, eventually molding the parts of the joint into a hard knob that juts out beyond the normal shape of your foot. Other causes include: inherited foot type, foot injuries, and deformities present at birth (congenital).

A hammertoe occurs from a muscle and ligament imbalance around the toe joint which causes the middle joint of the toe to bend and become stuck in this position. The most common complaint with hammertoes is rubbing and irritation on the top of the bent toe.
Toes that may curl rather than buckle — most commonly the baby toe — are also considered hammertoes. It can happen to any toe. Women are more likely to get pain associated with hammertoes than men because of shoe gear.

Hammertoes can be classified in two ways: flexible hammertoes or rigid hammertoes. The muscles of each toe work in pairs. When the toe muscles get out of balance, a hammertoe can form. Muscle imbalance puts a lot of pressure on the toe’s tendons and joints. This pressure forces the toe into a hammerhead shape. The are generally the result of genes, arthritis, or an injury to the toe.

Common Podiatry Conditions

Common Podiatry Procedures

Podiatry Videos

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Patient Video Testimonials

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