It seems a podiatrist's scope is much much more broad and complex than I would have originally thought. Interesting stuff.....
What procedures & surgeries are commonly performed by pods?
What are some of the more complex surgeries?
What are some of your favorites?
Are there pods that can concentrate on sports medicine? If yes, what are their most common procedures/surgeries?
Thanks!
The most commonly performed surgeries are bunionectomies and hammertoe surgeries. While they can be quite simple, there are literaly >100 surgeries that can be done for a bunion deformity. Deciding which is the best indicated procedure for a particular patient can be interesting. Different docs may choose different procedures depending on their training and experience. The more you learn about this the more you will understand the differences.
What the more complex procedures are will depend on what you are seeing. At this point, I think reconstructive surgery for Charcot deformity may be some of the more challenging cases we see. Reconstuction of severe fractures can also be challenging, but not as common. This may vary depending on your particular patient population though.
Favorites are hard to say. I enjoy fixing ankle fractures. I've done enough of them, that they are not that complex, but each one may present it's own challenges. A good triple arthrodesis case is always fun too, but not as common as an ankle fracture. Bunion surgeries are the "bread and butter" of podiatry, and these can be fun as well. They can be more complex than they seem at first glance, and doing them well can be rewarding.
As an active duty military resident, I would say that a fair number of my patients could be considered sports medicine cases. Among the most common pathology we see are lateral ankle instability, anterior ankle impingement, osteochondral defects in the talus, and peroneal tendon pathology. Some of our more common procedures would be a Brostrum lateral ankle stabilization (less commonly a Chrisman-Snook procedure), and lots of ankle arthroscopic procedures. I find all of these to be fun procedures, and typically have good results.
There can be a great variety in podiatry, and this is one of the plusses. The fact that many of the patients we see can be made better is another one. Often this can be done in the same visit we first see them, and this is even better. It's always good when a patient comes in with a painful problem and leaves the office feeling good. Nice for us, that this is relatively frequent.
Eric
