Does anybody know of a good podiatrist in the Chicagoland area? My girlfriend has been fighting a foot injury for six months now. Enough is enough. She went to a doctor that gave her a bunch of shots and sold her $400 orthodics. Nothing has improved, or even changed since then.
We’re looking for a Doctor that wont say to stop running if it hurts to run. She’s already tried that. First run back, the pain was back.
PLEASE HELP!!
I can highly recommend Dr. Lisa Rechkemmer in the western Chicago suburbs. In addition to her being a runner, a triathlete, and a med school instructor, she knows her stuff. More info here (I have no commercial connection to her business except that she has treated me).
Go see Michael Chin @ The Running Institue downtown. Great doc, great guy.
Did she see an MD or was it a DPM? Doctors of Podiatric Medicine, while technically “doctors,” are not medical doctors in the sense of being an MD (or DO). Podiatry is a separate, independent field of medicine that attempts to accomplish what dentistry has done in becoming a practitioner of an isolated body part. Unlike medicine and dentistry, however, DPM schools have much lower entrance standards and, I’m told, much less regulation leading to a wide disparity in competence amongst Podiatrists. My recommendation is very strongly in favor of finding a Sports Medicine Physician or Foot&Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeon that is board-certified and experienced in working with the endurance athlete patient population. FWIW: I am a medical student, and I have a very good friend from college in podiatry school (while he is intelligent, he went the DPM route because he didn’t want to make the sacrifice of going through medical school and residency. I believe that is telling). Best of luck to her in finding a capable provider of care, a protracted injury is a terrible thing for an athlete to experience.
Very interesting perspective. Yet, thats just what it is, a perspective based on a theoretical understanding of the realities of medical practice.
Bottom line is this, regardless of the letters after an individuals name possessing an expertise in evaluating and treating athletes and non-athletes is based on many factors beyond what medical school or residency they completed. Its a total package concept. Not unlike other professions, there are those who have an expertise in a particular area and there are those who claim such specialization, but cannot create the results. In medicine its no different. Do not be fooled by an individual who claims to be certified in “Sports Medicine” as being an expert in treating athletes. There are many physicians who advertise this level of expertise, but see very few athletes and have very little experience.
I would recommend you educate yourself about a potential clinician (as you are doing). Find out what medical school they attended, their residency and fellowship training they received (this is fundamental data). Find out if they lecture and educate their peers either locally or nationally. How do they maintain their level of expertise? Is your potential physician an athlete, an active competitor in sport? If so, what sports does he or she compete in and at what level? Ideally, a physician who actively trains and competes in sport should have a greater understanding of the nuances for treating and managing athletic injuries. I am not necessarily speaking of individuals who competed in a sport in college, but rather, those who are actively engaged in athletics. Furthermore, a physician who has experieced similar injuries like his or her patient’s maybe more in tune with what an individual athlete is going through both physically and mentally. Finally, talk with others who have seen a particular physician and get their input. Some of the finest clinicians are those who know their limitations and employ the expertise of other specialists in order to treat patients successfully. Regardless of claims made, no one has all the answers. Best of luck and keep an open mind.
Ronald G. Ray, DPM, FACFAS, PT
Foot and Ankle Clinic of Montana, PC
President, Race Montana, Inc.
www.racemt.com