11/19/2012    Randall Brower, DPM

Minor Foot Problems Can Worsen if Unchecked: MD Podiatrist

I hope the part of the article cited by PM News
in CNN's Money magazine was not the view of the
APMA or Dr. Cristina. The article plugged our
profession for only minor problems and chronic
conditions "like hammertoes." The article
plugged orthopedics for fractures and injuries
when helping the reader decide who they should
choose for their foot and ankle care.

I pray that the last paragraph in that article
was the opinion and viewpoint of the author, not
Dr. Cristina. Even so, it's sad that even after
an interview with an APMA representative, the
article's author is so under-informed about our
profession.

I hope the APMA, seeing their name in this
article, forces a retraction to clear up the
orthopedist comment or they might just lose APMA
membership of many more of us podiatrists who
regularly perform surgery on "breaks" and
injuries and completed far better dedicated foot
and ankle residency and fellowship-training than
orthopedics.

Losing ACFAS, strike one; if this article was
sanctioned by the APMA, strike two; my
advice...quit swinging.

PS: I understand that sometimes things are
printed and editorialized without the knowledge
or consent of those interviewed in the article
and will give the APMA some benefit of the doubt
but no forgiveness if a retraction statement
isn't forth coming.

Randall Brower, DPM, Avondale, AZ,
footdoctor33@yahoo.com

Other messages in this thread:

---

11/21/2012    James Christina, DPM

Minor Foot Problems Can Worsen if Unchecked: MD Podiatrist

Unfortunately, it appears that journalistic
integrity on this article was compromised. With
regard to the comments about podiatry treating
only “minor problems,” that comment was never
made nor was it even discussed in the interview.
Also, that comment was not attributed to me in
the brief piece that ran in Money magazine.
Looking at the entire piece, the writer broke
the article into “Five Things to Know about Foot
Pain.”

I was quoted in the first item that dealt with
ignoring foot problems leading to more costly
solutions. When APMA was contacted by the fact
checker, we had to correct several misquotes
about podiatry. Even though the statement about
podiatry only treating minor conditions was not
attributed to me, we asked the writer to change
that part to something like “an individual
should seek treatment based on the education,
training, and experience of the physician in
question. Podiatrists can treat all foot and
ankle disorders, both surgically and non-
surgically—whether they are acute or chronic
conditions.”

We also provided a link to extensive information
about a podiatrist’s education and training.
Obviously the writer chose to ignore our
suggestion. APMA has contacted the magazine
several times since it was published in an
attempt to have Money print a correction to the
statement made in the article.

I also question the way the article was
presented in PM News. By placing the section
that contained the portion of the article I was
quoted on above my picture and then placing the
statement about podiatry treating “minor”
conditions below, it made it appear as though
both statements could be attributed to me. Also,
PM News never contacted APMA to find out if we
had challenged the statement that appears in PM
News.

I have done numerous interviews for print,
radio, and television and always highlight the
outstanding education and training that
podiatrists receive to provide the public the
best foot and ankle care. Unfortunately, even
with fact checking, an article may present the
author’s point of view if they choose to ignore
the actual facts.

To view the entire article and respond to Money
magazine directly, readers can go to
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/01/pf/foot-
pain.moneymag/index.html.

James Christina, DPM, director of Scientific
Affairs, APMA, JRChristina@apma.org