Worker’s compensation and Motor Vehicle Accidents of the Foot / Ankle

After a car accident or a work injury, foot and ankle problems are often overlooked — and that delay can cost you, both medically and in your claim. Frequently the trouble starts when a patient waits too long to seek care, or doesn’t mention every complaint to the treating doctor.

Why Foot and Ankle Injuries Get Missed

After a serious accident, patients often focus on one area — say, shoulder or back pain — and dismiss an ankle injury as “just a sprain.” Clinicians can get tunnel-visioned too, treating the most obvious injury while another goes unaddressed. Trained in trauma and reconstructive surgery, Dr. Lam has seen many a “neglected ankle sprain” turn out to be a tendon rupture, ligament tear, or nerve injury that needed specific treatment.

Why Early Documentation Matters

An MRI and a thorough exam by a specialist around the time of the injury are invaluable. They capture active swelling and tissue injury, which helps answer the question every workers’ comp and auto-accident case hinges on: is this a new injury from the accident, a pre-existing condition, or an aggravation of a prior problem? The longer you wait, the harder that is to prove.

Get a Specialist’s Opinion

• Report and document every complaint — don’t let the foot or ankle be forgotten
• Be evaluated promptly so injuries are caught while they are still “fresh”
• Seek a board-certified expert with experience in trauma care and reconstruction
• Independent Medical Examinations (IME) are available when an objective evaluation is needed

If you need a second opinion after any accident about a foot or ankle concern, call (239) 430-3668 (FOOT) or book online at NaplesPodiatrist.com.

Serving Southwest Florida since 2005, Family Foot & Leg Center has 9 convenient locations throughout Collier, Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota Counties — Naples, Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte, and Sarasota. We provide pediatric to geriatric foot and ankle care: ingrown toenails, heel pain, bunions, foot & ankle arthritis, plantar fasciitis, foot & ankle surgery, custom orthotics, and diabetic wound care — with in-office X-rays, diagnostic ultrasound, and minor surgical suites. Home of the Lam Minimally Invasive No-Scar Bunion Surgery. Same-day appointments and easy online scheduling.