Ponseti & limb lengthening

Super obscure question that nobody is familiar with............check

At NYCPM we are taught Ponsetti and have enough club feet that we get to cast them; I've casted two patients already. The college tends to attract interesting cases because other doctors aren't as comfortable and thus refer to them. We have three podopediatricians and a dedicated pediatric clinic. My point is that very few people specialize in this, but it is definitely possible. The key would be to work in a clinic like one affiliated with a school. Because these doctors teach the podopeds classes, they are seen as experts by all of the students going through (they are experts) and then all graduates refer back to the school if they are uncomfortable treating. Then you have your name out there for pediatrics and the patients start finding you (one of the patients I worked with called the clinic months before the child was born as the clubfoot was diagnosed in utero, and they did a lot of online research). Essentially it snowballs.

A word on class ranks - You may need to be in the top of people that want to do peds - which may be like 4 people. If the top 3/4 of the class want nothing to do with peds, then you don't need to be in the top 3/4. People obsess over grades and then go to the worst residencies because they are afraid to scramble, thus leaving the door open for others that may not be top 5%.

Russia - another professor at NYCPM has trained a lot in Russia. The opportunities are available. You can start now - read Ilizarov's book. Then in the next year or two, chat with others about it, and soon you will be known in your class for wanting to do this. Everyone that hears something about Ilizarov will talk to you about it and you essentially become the class expert. Find a residency like West Penn, and seek out all training possible at conferences and Russia, etc.

Everything is there for the taking if you put in some effort. Good luck

Like others have said, if you are interested in Ponseti method, there are courses or mini-fellowships that you could take during or after residency. For limb-lengthening, again, I haven't seen that those cases are very common. I think Dr. Hutchinson at Franciscan in Tacoma, Washington does some of those cases. I am sure there are others. I would also look at some of the fellowships out there, especially Dr. Lamms fellowship in Baltimore (after all, the fellowship is at the "International Center for Limb Lengthening"). That would probably be where you could specialize more than residency. I don't know how competitive the fellowships are, but here is the link.

Kidsfeet said:

I would start planting the seed now. If you are really interested in these things, maybe visit the people who do them often, and get them to know you are interested. As time goes on, get more and more involved and eventually when the time comes you won't be a stranger to them, and maybe get the position you are interested in.

If you do it smartly, it will pay dividends for you slowly, but ultimately, you will reach your goal. Sometimes it takes years of planning to get what you want.

Click to expand...

As an additional caveat, I would just say that while you are working towards those goals, keep your eyes open to other fields of interest. You're still pretty young in the field as a 1st year student (not that I have much more experience than you), and you may change your mind as to what your interests are. I may just be especially fickle, but I have changed my mind several ttimes as to what I want to focus in. I am 100% for knowing what you want early on, but it helped me to just take in as much as I could about many different areas of focus, and now I feel like I have a much better idea of what I want and would enjoy. Best of luck no matter what.

Dr. Dror Paley recently started working with JFK in West Palm Beach (Florida) and they offer a fellowship in advanced deformity and limb lengthening for a podiatry resident.