Why Podiatry Matters: What a Foot and Ankle Surgeon Actually Does

By Dr. Christopher R.D. Menke, DPM, FACFAS — Double Board-Certified Foot & Ankle Surgeon, Founder of 26 Apothecary

Why Podiatry Matters: What a Foot and Ankle Surgeon Actually Does

I regularly see patients who spent 12 to 18 months being managed by a general practitioner or orthopedist for a foot or ankle condition before being referred to my office — and the delay mattered clinically. Not because the earlier providers were inadequate physicians, but because foot and ankle anatomy, biomechanics, and pathology are specialized enough that the pattern recognition required to diagnose and stage conditions correctly benefits significantly from specialty training focused specifically on this anatomical region.

Dr. Christopher R.D. Menke, DPM, FACFAS — double board-certified in foot surgery and rearfoot and ankle reconstruction, founder of 26 Apothecary — explains what podiatric medicine covers and when specialist care makes a difference.

What Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Encompasses

Podiatric medicine is a doctoral-level medical specialty focused on the diagnosis, medical management, and surgical treatment of conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and lower extremity. The scope of podiatric practice includes the full spectrum of foot and ankle conditions: biomechanical analysis and conservative orthotic therapy, wound care and limb salvage in diabetic and vascular patients, sports medicine for foot and ankle overuse and acute injuries, nail and skin pathology management, and reconstructive surgery for deformity correction, joint replacement, and complex trauma reconstruction.

When Specialist Care Makes a Meaningful Difference

Foot and ankle conditions that are structurally driven — hallux valgus, hammertoe deformity, flatfoot, Achilles tendon pathology — benefit from biomechanical evaluation and staged management that requires understanding of foot and ankle kinematics beyond the general medical curriculum. Diabetic foot and wound care is a subspecialty within podiatry with among the most significant outcome data in all of medicine — specialized podiatric wound care teams produce dramatically lower amputation rates than general wound care approaches.

Conservative Care and Podiatry: The Right Sequence

26 Apothecary represents the conservative care layer that precedes the specialist visit for most patients with common foot conditions. The goal is not to replace the specialist relationship but to make the interval before and after that relationship as clinically useful as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a referral to see a podiatrist?

In most insurance systems, podiatrists can be accessed directly without a referral from a primary care physician. Some insurance plans require a referral for specialist visits — checking your plan’s specific requirements is the appropriate first step.

What is the difference between a podiatrist and an orthopedic surgeon?

Both podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons with foot and ankle subspecialty training treat foot and ankle conditions surgically. Podiatrists complete specialized foot and ankle training throughout their entire medical education and residency. For general orthopedic conditions outside the foot and ankle, an orthopedic surgeon is the appropriate specialist.

How do I find a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon?

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) and the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS) maintain directories of board-certified practitioners. Certification by ABFAS in both foot surgery and rearfoot and ankle reconstruction represents the highest level of credentialing in podiatric surgery.

About the Author

Dr. Christopher R.D. Menke, DPM, FACFAS is a double board-certified foot and ankle surgeon — board-certified in both foot surgery and rearfoot and ankle reconstruction. He completed his podiatric medical training at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in 2005 and his residency at Northlake Medical Center and DeKalb Medical in Georgia, completing in 2008. He is the founder of 26 Foot and Ankle and 26 Apothecary, and the founder of Surgeons of Service, a Georgia-based humanitarian surgical nonprofit. Every product in the 26 Apothecary catalog was selected through the same clinical lens Dr. Menke applies in the exam room and the operating room.