For insurance reasons, podiatrists are much easier. Florida law allows you to see one without a referral. The whole city of Orlando has only one orthopedic doctor specializing in feet and ankles, and it's almost impossible to get an appointment in a reasonable amount of time. I would have had to get a referral and then wait six weeks to see this specialist, so I went to a podiatrist.

As for what Kathy said about surgery, I disagree. I think you can have a good surgery experience no matter what kind of doctor does the surgery, as long as it's an orthopedic doctor or a D.P.M. When I had my EPF, I had the podiatrist and anesthesiologist (an M.D.) in the operating room. I felt safe and felt that if any complications came up, I would be in good hands. My surgery went very smoothly.

As long as you have a doctor you trust, I think it really doesn't matter what kind of doctor you go to.

To find out more about the kind of training podiatrists receive, go to the following web site:

www.apma.org/podiat.html

Good luck no matter what kind of doctor you choose!

Melissa