Doctor and patient looking at x-ray of foot

How to Determine if You’ve Undergone Unnecessary Podiatric Surgery

Many people complain about their foot surgeries, but not all complaints warrant malpractice lawsuits. However, if you have had podiatry surgery in New York and now realize that the procedure that caused you pain, inconvenience, and loss of income was unnecessary, it’s time to get in touch with The Law Firm of Lawrence M. Karam, P.C. 

Larry has been successfully fighting for the rights of victims of podiatry malpractice for over 25 years and he has the in-depth knowledge and legal skill set to fight successfully for your rights. Contact him now for a free consultation to see whether you have a viable case.

If so, your cause will become his cause and he will work diligently to get you maximum compensation for your losses. Larry works on contingency, so you will only owe him attorney’s fees if he wins you damages.

Was Your Podiatry Surgery Unnecessary?

Are you having buyer’s remorse after a bunionectomy, metatarsal surgery, hammertoe surgery, or surgery for a neuroma? Do you believe that the operation that interfered with your daily life and caused you so much pain was not necessary in the first place and that your podiatrist misled you? Did another foot doctor (podiatrist or orthopedic foot & ankle surgeon) tell you that the surgery appeared to be unnecessary?

There are several ways to determine if you have undergone unnecessary podiatry surgery, including:

  • Your podiatrist promised you pain relief, restoration of function, or aesthetic 
  • improvement that has not occurred.
  • Your doctor overcorrected the problem and now you have a new set of difficulties.
  • You find that you are taking far longer to recover than your doctor predicted and now require ongoing physical therapy and other treatment for unrelieved symptoms.
  • You have been informed by your podiatrist or another doctor you have consulted that you now need another operation to correct or improve the first one.

If any of these is true, you may well have a winnable case of podiatric malpractice in which your doctor breached the duty of care owed to you and has been negligent, directly resulting in your personal injury.

How Your Podiatrist’s Negligence May Have Led to Unnecessary Surgery

As a professional, doctors have a responsibility to prepare patients properly for surgery, to work in a sterile environment with the correct tools, and to use safe standard protocols of surgical technique. Your podiatrist may be held liable for failing to:

  1. Take your medical history and pay attention to its details
  2. Verify assumptions about your general health
  3. Diagnose any new symptoms that might have led to the conclusion that you were not a good candidate for surgery
  4. Refer you to another specialist (e.g. neurologist, orthopedic surgeon) when appropriate 
  5. Give you postsurgical instructions to keep you from injuring yourself or slowing the healing process (e.g. by putting weight on the affected foot too soon)
  6. Follow up with you to check for possible postsurgical complications, such as infection or delayed healing 

Such negligence on the part of your podiatrist may have led not only to unrelieved or increased pain or postsurgical deformity of the foot but to catastrophic consequences like amputation, osteomyelitis (bone infection) pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or sepsis.  Or, the results may have left you with a great toe which no longer touches the ground or points in the wrong direction (hallux varus), or does not adequately bend, or left you with misshapen toes or toes which under or overlap other toes.

Damages Larry Karam Will Fight to Recover

If your podiatrist’s actions or inactions put your life in jeopardy or actually resulted in the death of a loved one, you are entitled to meaningful compensation for:

  • Medical and rehabilitation costs
  • Lost income, present and future
  • Permanent disability
  • Pain and suffering
  • Alterations to make your home accessible
  • Permanent scarring or another disfigurement
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

Contact Our Experienced Podiatry Malpractice Attorney Today

Going through surgery is never pleasant and is often fraught with more difficulty than you anticipated. To find that you have gone through podiatric surgery for no good reason and that you are perhaps worse off than you were before the operation is devastating. Contact Larry now so can begin fighting to bring you justice and the damages you deserve.

About the Author
Of all the different areas in medical malpractice, it is podiatry malpractice that has had a particular interest to me. With 42 years practicing law and representing hundreds of victims of malpractice, I have created a law practice in which my clients are comfortable knowing that their case is being handled with my personal attention, in the most professional manner, and without unreasonable delays.