When people think of podiatrists, they’re often thinking about heel pain or ingrown toenails, JPS Chief Resident of Podiatry Jordan Ernst, DPM said.
While those routine cases are certainly a part of the job, the U.S. Army veteran from Nebraska said he and his colleagues also often find themselves on the frontline of patients’ battles to save their lower legs from amputation or their fight to keep their mobility and independence after a traumatic accident. Finding a solution in those life-changing situations is his favorite part of the job.
“Whether it’s from trauma, infection or complications from diabetes, we have cases where we have to tell patients that amputation is an option,” Ernst said. “We have to be honest with them and tell them what they’re facing. But when they’re willing to fight for their limb and we can save that leg, that’s the part of the job that is very rewarding.”
Eight months ago, a patient who was severely injured in a forklift accident was brought to JPS. His leg was pinned by the machine and when coworkers tried to free him, the skin from his shin to his toes came off like a glove. The easiest solution would have been to amputate the leg below the knee. But the patient was willing to undergo the 10 surgeries it took to rebuild his foot with grafted skin. He’s reached the point where he’s walking again and soon he’ll be preparing for a return to work.
“We know of very few reported cases where the patient suffered that kind of injury and he was able to keep his lower leg,” Ernst said. “But we couldn’t find a case where the patient was able to keep his toes, too. It’s hard to fashion skin grafts around and in between the toes but, with meticulous work, we were able to do it and save them.”
Another satisfying outcome came in the case of a high school athlete who suffered a terrible knee injury while playing football. The trauma caused nerve damage that prevented the young man from being able to control the muscles needed to lift the front of his foot. Ernst said surgery to relocate a tendon restored the missing movement. If the procedure wasn’t a success, the teenager might have a limp for life.
“If he was able to walk normally again, we could have definitely called the outcome a success,” said Ernst. “But he’s back on the field playing football and running track. He runs 400 meters in 55 seconds and competes in the triple jump and the long jump. It’s tremendously gratifying.”
The most frustrating cases podiatrists face are foot and lower leg problems caused by complications from diabetes, according to Ernst.
“I’ve seen patients fall into depression and a sense of defeat because they lose a leg to diabetes,” said Ernst. “When you’re able to save that person’s limb, their sense of well-being really responds. It’s amazing.”
While the patients’ successes, not accolades, are what it’s all about for podiatrists, Ernst said it’s important for the public to understand that there’s more to podiatry than what many people who have never suffered a traumatic foot or lower leg injury realize.
“It does a lot for the profession when people know about the ways we can help them,” Ernst said. “We’re always honing our skills so we’re here when they need us.”