Foot & Ankle Orthopedics at TidalHealth
SALISBURY, Md. – In this week’s edition of Health Beat, brought to you by TidalHealth, WMDT spoke with Dr. Patrick Donaghue about his specialty in foot and ankle orthopedics.
Dr. Donaghue went to medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia before doing his residency there as well. He finished his training at Twin Cities Orthopedics in Minneapolis on a foot and ankle fellowship.
“Being a fellowship trained foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon, I have one year of dedicated training to just a foot and ankle,” Dr. Donaghue elaborated. “So outside of my core orthopedic, principles, I spent a year just focusing on the foot and ankle, that’s something that a lot of orthopedic surgeons focus on.”
Dr. Donaghue says his favorite thing about specializing in foot and ankle orthopedics is the wide array of patients he receives — from senior weekend warriors to young athletes, they all come to him when pain is afoot for specific treatment.
“The goal of orthopedics is always to return patients to activity. So if you were unable to do something or you’re experiencing pain with any of your activities, that’s when you should come in and see us,” he added.
Dr. Donaghue also told WMDT that some of the more recent advances in orthopedic foot and ankle are minimally invasive surgery. Physicians use small incisions that help with healing time and getting patients back on their feet quickly. Additionally, he says another big focus that has been patient-specific is instrumentation and technology. However, 95 percent of the time, Dr. Donaghue says his patients start with physical therapy or bracing, as its important to exhaust all non-surgical options before looking at any procedures.
If you’re having foot or ankle pain, visit TidalHealth Peninsula Orthopedic Institute at one of their locations in Salisbury, Seaford, Millsboro, or Lewes.
