Foot & Ankle Fellowship Program #SWFL first

Family Foot and Leg Center has been approached many times about doing a training program, namely a residency program for podiatric surgeons.  Due to the lack of time to train fresh graduates from podiatry school, we have agreed to start a post graduate fellowship instead in reconstructive rearfoot / ankle surgery.  Due to the vast variety of cases and complexity seen at the Family Foot and Leg Center, PA  we have are able to offer excellent training to post residency candidates with at least 3 years of post surgical training after their DPM graduation.

Benefits:

• 1 year program 
• Extended OR experience that is hands on w double board certified surgeons and fellows of the american college of foot and ankle surgery. 

Requirements:

• 3 years or more surgical residency
• Letter of Recommendation from Residency Director
• MD , DO or DPM  degree
• School transcript
• If DPM must pass the ABFAS  foot and rearfoot / ankle written test part I
• FL state licensure or able to do such
• DEA active

                   

Kelly Ripa and Husband with foot injuries

Celebrity Foot Focus

Talk show host Kelly Ripa and husband actor Mark Consuelos each injured their left foot within a few days of each other. Although she broke her foot in a dance class by landing on a hand weight, and he during a workout

Celebrity Foot Focus

Talk show host Kelly Ripa and husband actor Mark Consuelos each injured their left foot within a few days of each other. Although she broke her foot in a dance class by landing on a hand weight, and he during a workout, they are wearing matching medical boots while healing.t, they are wearing matching medical boots while healing.

Talus fracture : Personal Injuries #PI common in motor vehicle accidents #MVA

Injuries to the foot and ankle sustained during a motor vehicle event of car vs car or car vs human is very common.  Common one to be explored here today is the talus.

Talus aka Astralgus aka Aviator's injury / fractures were first explored in airplane injuries due to the rudder controls on the plane.   A rough landing or crash would have the foot forcefully dorsiflexed or foot towards ankle injury that causes either a contusion, stress fracture or even a talar neck fracture as below.  This motion or mechanism of injury is similar to when a person's foot is on the brakes of a car in an attempt to stop or reduce a collision.

Below is after repair with opposing screws. 

Often, the foot / ankle is neglected after a motor vehicle accident as the injured is often dealing with other pains such as the neck and back etc.    Always get the foot and ankle assessed after a #MVA as the patient above walked on her broken foot for 1.5 months before seeing me.   Miraculously, she healed without any complications despite delayed surgery.

Dr. Kevin K. Lam

Comprehensive Foot & Ankle Care

Post Residency Reconstructive Rearfoot / Ankle Surgery : Fellowship Director

www.NaplesPodiatrist.com

Office: 239 430 FOOT

Fax: 239 692 9436

Blog:  www.DrKevinLam.com

Double Board Certified Podiatric Surgeon

• American Board Of Podiatric Surgery
• Foot Surgery
• Reconstructive RearFoot & Ankle Surgery
• American Board of Lower Extremity Surgeons
• Foot Surgery
• Reconstructive RearFoot & Ankle Surgery

#Oprah still has #Bunions

Oprah Still Has Bunions!!!

We all know that America’s favorite queen of talk has the infamous bunions on her feet. Back then, Oprah talked about bunions with her in-house medical expert Dr. Mehmet Oz during her show. Dr. Oz advised that initially, the #bunions should be managed conservatively. Among the conventional ways to manage bunion is by taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen to relieve pain and swelling. Foot inserts are also recommended to help position the feet to minimize abnormal foot movement, helping to prevent the bunions from getting worse. But ultimately, surgery is the only way to truly treat or remove a bunion. Recovery time could take about 6 months.

That was back in 2011 and Oprah still hasn’t got her bunions fixed. This may be because of her busy schedule or because of Dr. Oz’s advice not to go through bunionectomy. But although there are some cases of bunion surgery gone wrong, it not fair to generalize. The success of bunion surgery relies on the extent of the bunion, the technique, and most particularly the skill of the surgeon.

Fortunately, thanks to improvements with surgery, patients no longer have to experience painful post operative bunion surgery due to the outdated and very invasive bunioninectomy procedures that may still be being done. Minimally invasive bunion surgery is the latest surgical technique to address ugly and painful bunions.

Minimally invasive bunion surgery only requires a very small incision, in fact, only about 5mm. This is to gain access to metatarsal bone. Now depending on the severity of the bunion, the surgeon decides where to cut the metatarsal bone. Once the bone is cut, the metatarsophalangeal joint and big toe can be freely manipulated, this allows the surgeon to align the joint and big toe and once aligned, they are pinned in place and that’s it. This procedure is very simple and hence, very minimal pain and swelling after the surgery and during recovery. Some patients can walk a day after surgery with the aid of a special boot, others can drive on day 5 even with the pin inserted. Minimally invasive bunion surgery: very simple procedure, minimal pain, minimal swelling, gets patients on their feet sooner. So what do you say? A day or two of bed rest and back to work, work, work.

She has to come to Naples, FL in #SWFL to get them fix via the Minimally invasive method. 

What do you think? 

Secrets to Picking a Foot & Ankle Surgeon

Podiatrists and Orthopedist both can do foot and ankle surgery.  How do you pick the best one for your needs?

Both Podiatrists and Orthopedists go through 4 years of graduate school didactic training.


Orthopedists that are fellowship trained in foot and ankle surgery has an extra 6 months to 1 year training in foot / ankle surgeries after their general orthopedic residency.

Podiatrists go through residency then most decided to go further to a foot and ankle fellowship for 1 year after that to gain further experience in the area they are most interested in such as: sports medicine, diabetic limb salvage, reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle.

• Don't shop by initials: MD, DO, vs DPM.   If someone says I'm and MD you should trust me more than a DO, DPM, etc. that is a sign of all they have going for them.  Believe me, I have heard patients who have sought second opinions and returned with this self serving comment. 
• Results and experience are what matters
• Who does the most of these surgeries at the hospitals
• You would be surprised that some doctors only do bunions and hammertoes but will dabble in ankle surgery
• Some will do hip and other traumas then try to do foot / ankle surgery because it is a bone. 
• Board Certification by the American Board of Foot / Ankle Surgery for Podiatrists
• Did you know that there are two parts to the American Board of Foot / ankle surgery? 
• Majority of podiatrists are certified in only foot surgery
• only about 900 + in the USA are Certified in Rearfoot / Ankle Surgery
• Board Certification by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery for Orthopedics

Dr. Kevin K. Lam

Comprehensive Foot & Ankle Care

Post Residency Reconstructive Rearfoot / Ankle Surgery : Fellowship Director

www.NaplesPodiatrist.com

Office: 239 430 FOOT

Fax: 239 692 9436

Blog:  www.DrKevinLam.com

Double Board Certified Podiatric Surgeon

• American Board Of Podiatric Surgery
• Foot Surgery
• Reconstructive RearFoot & Ankle Surgery
• American Board of Lower Extremity Surgeons
• Foot Surgery
• Reconstructive RearFoot & Ankle Surgery

Quick Guide to Bunion Surgery- Don't get bunion surgery without reading this

Quick Guide to Bunion Surgery

• Bunions can dislocate when they get severe enough
• Bunion surgery does not have to be painful, improved surgical techniques such as our minimally invasive procedure  / scarless bunionectomy decreases pain to almost nothing
• Bunions can cause arthritis to set in
• Numerous procedures, ask 10 surgeons and you can get up to 10 different answers on how to address
• Can be done in the office setting saving money, time, and risk of hospital acquired infections
• Choose a doctor that has the most experience, not initials after their name, MD, DO, DPM, etc. 
• Family Foot and Leg Center, PA does average of 10 bunion surgeries a week or more. 

Below you will see a bunion and bunionette (tailor's bunion) corrected in 18 minutes via the scarless method