South Shore Foot & Ankle’s doctors, Cynthia Lembcke-Grundy and Dominik Meyer, get to know their patients and find the best treatment so they can walk through life without pain.
“Our jobs as doctors is to get people back on their feet,” Dr. Meyer said. “We take pride in our work because we want your feet to look good, wear the shoes you want, and do the activities you enjoy doing without pain.”
From their beautiful location in Valparaiso, the partners are experts in their field. Dr. Cynthia Grundy, DPM, FACFAS, is a board certified foot, ankle, and rear foot reconstructive surgeon and Dominik Meyer, DPM, FACFAS, specializes in surgical care and treatments of all common foot and ankle disorders. The united goal is to listen to their patients’ foot health problems and, using the newest technology and their extensive experience, correct those issues.
“I don’t like hearing people can’t do their exercises and things they enjoy because their feet hurt,” Dr. Meyer said. “Being able to get them back into what they enjoy is the best thing we can do.”
For Dr. Meyer, people might not think of the importance of foot health until something goes wrong. Our feet carry us through life and when a problem arises, like bunions or hammer toes, overall health and comfort is at stake. “Every step you take can hurt if you neglect things in the feet,” Dr. Meyer said. “Other issues may occur like knees, hips, the back, and all the way up. Our feet are what is touching the ground and it’s important to care for them.”
No matter the age, people can begin to care for their feet. Some warning signs are irritation, redness, blisters, and shoes not feeling as comfortable as they once did. Dr. Meyer advises to seek intervention as soon as possible. In fact, the longer someone waits to seek treatment, the harder the problem will be to address. With early intervention, there are options like orthotics and shoes, that do not require surgery.
“If you wait until the point your bunion is busting out of your shoe, there won’t be a choice but to operate to fix it,” Dr. Meyer said.
According to Dr. Meyer, early intervention can help slow the development of deformities in the feet. However, if surgery is necessary, he noted that foot surgery has come a long way in the last 20-30 years.
“A lot of patients will come in worried about the way surgery will turn out because of things they’ve heard from relatives, but things have changed,” Dr. Meyer explained. “We are doing different surgeries now, such as implant technologies. If there is something that’s bothering you, come see us and get it checked out. We can have a discussion on what the options are.”
Medical Practice Manager, Judy Uzubell, said that Dr. Grundy and Dr. Meyer are dedicated and compassionate and work to ease the fears of their patients. She witnessed the impact that treatment and surgery has on their patients and urges those experiencing foot pain to seek help.
“Why be miserable?” Uzubell said. "Just do it and get it checked out."
South Shore Foot & Ankle is inviting the public and current patients to their shoe sale on May 16 and a community talk in their office at 6 p.m., May 30. During the event, the community can learn more about bunions and other foot ailments while enjoying light refreshments.