DON'T LET FOOT PAIN GET IN THE WAY OF LIVING YOUR LIFE!

Welcome to Peake Podiatry

Direct Care Approach

Many patients choose our self-pay options for simplicity, speed, and clarity – even if they have insurance.

You and Your Foot Health Matter

Dr. Patel will take the time to listen and understand your goals to create the most optimal treatment plan without rushing through your visit. We know that there is a person attached to the foot, and we believe that the more informed you are as a patient, the better your outcome will be.

Dr Rikhil Patel, DPM, FACFAS

Our Services

Contact for Pricing

Contact for Pricing

Contact for Pricing

Click to Learn More

Our sports medicine service, we emphasize personalized care for athletes. We offer same-day appointments, hands-on diagnosis, and a comprehensive overview of treatment options tailored to you. Our new Performance Conceirge Membership includes advanced therapies such as shockwave therapy, regenerative therapy, and urgent care visits, ensuring you receive the best support for your athletic performance.

Hands-on Diagnosis

Personalized, hands-on diagnosis and targeted treatments to enhance recovery and performance.

Best Treatment Available for You

Personalized care, advanced diagnostics, and tailored rehabilitation programs for optimal recovery and performance.

Same-day Appointment

Same-day appointments for prompt attention to sports-related injuries, focusing on rapid recovery and personalized treatment plans.

Sports Medicine

Dr. Patel's approach focuses on a thorough biomechanical evaluation to uncover the root cause of your discomfort, ensuring targeted and effective treatment.

Podiatrist FAQ: Real Questions Patients Ask

There is a lot of conflicting advice online about foot and ankle problems. We’ve collected some of the questions patients frequently ask before deciding where to go, what treatment they need, or whether surgery is really necessary.

1. Podiatrist vs. Orthopedic Surgeon — Who Should Do My Foot or Ankle Surgery?

The short answer: choose the surgeon, not simply the degree.

Both a surgically trained podiatrist and an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the foot and ankle can be qualified to perform foot and ankle surgery.

Podiatrists are doctors who specialize specifically in the foot and ankle throughout their training. In the United States, a DPM completes four years of podiatric medical school followed by a three-year hospital-based surgical residency. Some surgeons then complete additional fellowship training. Orthopedic surgeons complete medical school and an orthopedic surgery residency, and those specializing in the foot and ankle may complete an additional foot-and-ankle fellowship.

So rather than asking only “DPM or MD?”, ask:

• Does this doctor specialize in foot and ankle surgery?

• Are they board certified in the appropriate surgical specialty?

• Did they complete additional fellowship training?

• How frequently do they perform the specific procedure I need?

• Are they comfortable offering multiple surgical techniques rather than using the same operation for everyone?

• What non-surgical alternatives are available?

• What does the recovery realistically look like?

• What happens if there is a complication?
  

For podiatric surgeons, the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS) provides board certification in Foot Surgery and Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle Surgery.

At Peake Podiatry, Dr. Rikhil Patel completed a three-year surgical residency followed by a one-year fellowship in Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (FACFAS) and treats foot and ankle problems with both conservative and surgical options.

Bottom line: A fellowship-trained orthopedic foot-and-ankle surgeon may be an excellent choice. A fellowship-trained podiatric foot-and-ankle surgeon may also be an excellent choice. What matters most is the individual surgeon's training, experience with your condition, surgical approach, and ability to explain why a particular procedure is right for you.

2. When Should I Actually See a Podiatrist for Foot or Ankle Pain?

Occasional soreness after a long day does not always require a specialist. Pain that keeps returning, changes how you walk, limits exercise, causes swelling, or does not improve as expected deserves a closer look.

You also don't necessarily have to wait until the problem becomes severe.

Podiatrists evaluate much more than toenails and calluses. Modern podiatric practice includes problems involving the bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves and skin of the foot and ankle, as well as sports injuries and traumatic injuries.

Sometimes the most useful part of an evaluation is finding out that you don't need an expensive treatment or surgery.

3. Are Custom Orthotics Actually Worth the Money?

Sometimes. But not everybody with foot pain needs custom orthotics.

This is one of the biggest points of frustration we see online: patients are sometimes prescribed expensive custom orthotics without understanding what the device is supposed to correct.

A custom orthotic should have a specific purpose. Depending on your condition, it may be designed to change pressure distribution, support a particular part of the foot, improve stability, accommodate a deformity, or alter how forces move through the foot while you walk or run.

For some patients, an appropriate over-the-counter insert may be enough. For others, the ability to customize the shape, posting, materials, cushioning and correction makes a custom device more appropriate.

At Peake Podiatry, we prefer to start with the question: “What are we trying to accomplish with the orthotic?” If there isn't a good answer to that question, you probably shouldn't be spending hundreds of dollars on one.

4. How Do I Know When It's Time to Have Bunion Surgery?

Having a bunion on an X-ray does not automatically mean you need surgery.

The decision is usually based on a combination of symptoms, progression of the deformity, difficulty wearing shoes, limitations in activity, examination findings and X-rays.

Non-surgical treatments such as wider shoes, padding, activity modification and inserts may reduce symptoms, but they generally do not physically straighten the underlying bone deformity. Surgery becomes a consideration when pain or deformity progresses beyond what conservative treatment can reasonably manage.

There also isn't one universal “bunion surgery.” Different deformities may require very different procedures.

At Peake Podiatry, Dr. Patel has advanced fellowship training in reconstructive and minimally invasive foot surgery. When appropriate, minimally invasive techniques can be considered—but the goal is to select the procedure that best fits your anatomy rather than forcing every bunion into the same technique.

5. Why Won't My Plantar Facilities Go Away?

One of the most common questions in online foot-pain communities is some version of: “I've tried stretching, new shoes, injections, orthotics and physical therapy. Why does my heel still hurt?”

One possibility is that the plantar fascia is still irritated.

Another possibility is that your heel pain isn't coming entirely from the plantar fascia.

Achilles problems, nerve irritation, stress injuries, fat-pad problems, biomechanics and other conditions can sometimes produce symptoms that patients describe simply as “heel pain.”

That's why persistent pain deserves another evaluation instead of automatically repeating the same treatment.

Most plantar fasciitis improves without surgery, and surgery is generally reserved for symptoms that persist despite an extended course of conservative treatment.

At Peake Podiatry, our approach is to identify the structure causing the pain first and then build treatment around the diagnosis—not simply around the label “plantar fasciitis.”

6. Can a Podiatrist Treat Ankle Sprains, Achilles Injuries and Sports Injuries — or Just Feet?

Yes. Podiatrists treat much more than the toes.

Podiatric training includes the foot, ankle and related structures of the lower leg. Depending on training and state scope of practice, podiatrists may treat conditions including ankle sprains and fractures, Achilles tendon injuries, tendon and ligament problems, stress fractures and other athletic injuries.

For athletes, the goal isn't simply making the pain disappear. It's figuring out:

• What was injured?

• Why did it happen?

• Is it safe to keep playing?

• And what needs to change to reduce the chance of it happening again?
  
  

Peake Podiatry offers sports-injury evaluation, diagnostic imaging when appropriate, conservative treatment, rehabilitation guidance and surgical treatment when necessary.

Clinic Hours

Monday 8:30am - 3:00pm

Wednesday 11:00pm - 6:00pm

Friday 8:30am - 3pm

Thursday & Saturday - by appointment only (extra fees may apply)