As a general rule, if foot pain is your only problem, a podiatrist is a good option. If you have pain all over your body, such as your neck and back, you should see an orthopedic doctor. If you can find a doctor who is trained in both orthopedics and podiatry, you'll be much better in the long run. Both podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons are qualified to treat foot and ankle conditions surgically and non-surgically.
In general, it's best to choose the doctor you're most comfortable with or who has more experience treating your particular condition. The first doctor you should consider going to treat heel pain is a podiatrist. Podiatrists are specialists in foot and ankle care and have the training and experience needed to diagnose and treat a wide variety of conditions that can cause heel pain. They can offer a variety of treatment options, including medications, physical therapy, braces and, in some cases, surgery.
It's important to seek treatment with a podiatrist for heel pain if you have symptoms that persist or affect your ability to walk or stand. It also helps to know how to choose the right footwear for your feet. In conclusion, heel pain can be due to a variety of factors and can be treated by different types of doctors. The orthopedic foot and ankle specialist emphasizes the entire musculoskeletal system and has the necessary experience to treat the entire body.
In fact, since foot and ankle surgeons treat traumatic foot and ankle injuries, they leave room in their schedule for people who have an urgent need to arrive quickly, often the same day or the next day. They attend medical school, like any other doctor, and receive a doctorate before completing five years of specialized training in orthopedic surgery, where they learn to care for bones, muscles and joints throughout the body. They can solve the problem at the root, since a foot and ankle orthopedist has extensive training in whole-body biomechanics, allowing them to provide comprehensive care for foot and ankle problems. A misconception is that people often go to orthopedic doctors who specialize in feet and ankles as providers of surgical care and not to a podiatrist, whom they associate with care non-surgical foot surgery.
If you have a skin, nail, or soft tissue condition in your foot, a podiatrist is well versed in taking care of these things. There's some overlap between what podiatrists and foot and ankle orthopedists treat, and you decide what you're most comfortable with. While regulations on what podiatrists can see and treat vary by state, in Colorado a podiatrist can treat any condition from foot to ankle. When foot pain, bruising, swelling, or deformity persist, don't wait: seek effective treatment with a highly qualified orthopedic doctor at Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland.
So which doctor to consult for heel pain? Patients should be aware of the different types of doctors who can treat heel pain and know when to seek treatment for it. It's a common misconception that you should only see an orthopedic foot and ankle specialist if you need surgery. The foot is one of the most complex parts of the skeletal system, with 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. If there's a chance you'll need surgical care to treat arthritis, fractures or bunions, it's best to start with an orthopedic foot specialist and ankle.
Conveniently, the new Physicians' Foot and Ankle Center at Harvard Medical School in Dedham brings together experts in orthopedics and podiatry under one roof.
