The COVID-19 pandemic became an unwelcome defining factor of 2020 and into 2021. Now, we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And this makes it a good time to reflect on the pandemic’s effect on podiatric medicine and surgery. It’s also time to ask how we can be prepared for future events that may affect how we practice.

By Andrew Schneider, DPM

The COVID-19 pandemic’s profound effect on the healthcare system will produce a ripple across all healthcare industry sectors, including podiatric medicine and surgery. Some of these changes are obvious and currently taking place, and many are still to be determined.

By Patrick DeHeer, DPM

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth visits has skyrocketed in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus. And due to its popularity, the continued use of telehealth is expected. However, while telehealth can be effective in many areas, there are limitations when it comes to characterizing changes in physical function such as gait.

By Patrick Roscher, MS, and Arnaud Gouelle, PhD

As we pass the midpoint of 2021, our great country is slowly but surely reopening and, hopefully, returning to normal (not the overused-to-the-point-of-being-nonsensical “new normal” that we heard about ad nauseum, but the real “normal” that we all remember and long for).

By Erick Janisse, CPed

Like many of us, I have had my share of trying times. I remember a quote I read while battling an illness that said, “Sometimes painful things can teach us lessons that we didn’t think we needed to know.” This couldn’t be more meaningful than during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Rob Conenello, DPM

COVID-19 has changed the world in ways that we can’t even imagine as of yet. One thing that this pandemic has done is it caused us to distance ourselves from other people and realize the paradox of modern technology.

By Mark Mendeszoon