Is Rex Ryan a Frustrated Podiatrist?

A video was just released showing Rex Ryan, the NY Jets football coach and his wife, depicting Rex of having a foot fetish. It is this video that made me think of the endless times I get asked, “Dr. Wishnie, why did you become a podiatrist? Do you have a foot fetish?”

Let me first answer that as simply as, absolutely not. I usually tell my patient, “Do you think a gastroenterologist has a butt fetish?” Then I ask, “What body part is beautiful? At least the foot is an external appendage that I don’t have to go digging into any holes.”

Well, why did I become a podiatrist? Podiatrists see many different types of patients. We see patients ranging from the age of infancy to the geriatric. On one day I can see both an 18 month old baby and a 104 year geriatric. I can see patients with sports injuries, like ankle sprains, Achilles tendinitis, fractures and dislocations. I see runners who don’t want to stop running, no matter how bad their foot hurts. Then I see little old ladies who remind me of my grandmother.

As you can see, I love the diversity that podiatry offers. I also love the fact that I can usually get people feeling better immediately. See, when you are not feeling well and you go to your family physician, they say, “Take this pill and you will feel better in a week.” Then the patient asks, “Hey doc, what happens if I don’t take the pill.” The doctor answers. “Then you will feel better in seven days.”

A lot of people are afraid of going to the doctors. They are afraid of the pain that might be inflicted upon them. Then what happens if they delay in making an appointment? The pain and the problem usually worsen. In podiatry, we can treat a problem many different ways. If a child comes in with a plantar’s wart, we usually use a topical medication to kill this virus. We usually don’t have to use any needles or do any cutting. If you have a corn, which is dead skin on a toe due to a deformity called a hammertoe, we can trim it painlessly. The patient leaves the office immediately feeling better. If you suffer from heel pain, we can tape the foot and give medication to relieve the pain. Many times we need to give an injection but then the patient is walking out the office feeling ten times better.

Getting patients better quickly and seeing almost immediate results is very satisfying. Podiatry is a wonderful profession and with millions of active baby boomers turning 65 on a daily basis, podiatrists will be very busy and will be an extremely necessary profession for many years to come.

Hey Rex, if this football coaching doesn’t work out, I can help you get in touch with my podiatry school professors.