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Foot + Ankle Care

Living with a foot or ankle condition — whether it’s because of arthritis, diabetes or a physical injury like a sprain — can have a major impact on your comfort and mobility. So when you need support for your foot or ankle ailment, you can trust that our care team will go the extra mile for you.

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When should I see a foot and ankle specialist?

Your feet are small but mighty extremities, with each one containing 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Every single part of your foot plays a very important role in supporting your body's weight, balance and upright motion.

Foot and ankle specialists (along with podiatrists) can take care of these body parts, especially if you're experiencing pain, swelling or tightness. We'll help you take a step in the right direction toward better health. 

You can count on our specialists to diagnose, treat, prevent and rehabilitate foot and ankle conditions so you can move around freely and comfortably.

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Conditions

Your feet and ankles absorb a lot of wear and tear given their role in supporting the rest of your body. This can lead to conditions like:

Ankle sprains
Arthritis of the foot and ankle
Athlete's foot
Athletic injuries
Chronic ligament instability
Congenital and post-traumatic conditions
Diabetic foot
Flatfoot and hindfoot deformities
Forefoot and toe deformities
Fractures
Hallux valgus (bunions)
Neuromuscular imbalance
Osteochondral injuries
Tendon injuries
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Testing

We turn to the following tests to get a better understanding of your foot or ankle condition:

These tests help us look for things like:

  • Arthritis
  • Fractures
  • Ligament sprains and tears
  • Nerve damage
  • Tumors 

We also take a hands-on approach to diagnosing foot and ankle injuries with a procedure called arthroscopy. It involves making an incision roughly the width of a penny into the affected area. We then thread a fiber-optic video camera attached to a narrow tube into the incision to view your joints, tendons and ligaments.

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Treatments

Foot and ankle health can have a big impact on other parts of your body. When you’re under our care, we’ll work with some of the brightest minds in medicine, including our colleagues in:

From diagnosing an injury to strength building and ongoing care, we’ll map a treatment path that’s uniquely you.

Nonsurgical foot + ankle treatments

Our goal is to avoid surgery whenever possible. Some of the nonsurgical therapies we offer include:

  • Bracing
  • Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (for wounds and diabetic foot conditions)
  • Injection therapy 
  • Lifestyle changes (exercise, weight loss and nutrition planning)
  • Oral medications
  • Orthotics
  • Physical therapy

Orthopedic foot surgery

Orthopedic foot surgery may be the next best option when nonsurgical strategies aren’t improving your health or if your condition is serious.

Some of the surgeries we perform include:

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FAQs

When should I see a podiatrist vs. a foot and ankle specialist?

Foot and ankle specialists as well as podiatrists can take care of the bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments in your feet and ankles. Where foot and ankle specialists are devoted to diagnosing, treating, preventing and rehabilitating musculoskeletal conditions affecting your feet and ankle, podiatrists can take their care one step further and also treat biomechanical and dermatologic conditions.

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Our locations

From regular office visits to inpatient stays, find the healthcare you need and deserve close to home.

Orthopedic Surgeon and Chief of Sports Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, Matthew Salzler, MD throwing a basketball outside with another doctor.
Our doctors + care team

Meet the doctors and care team devoted to supporting you every step of the way along your path to better health.

Understand what you may pay for care at Tufts Medicine with our price estimate tool.

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