Reston Family Foot and Ankle Center

"I went back and forth on if this review should be 2 or 3 starts. I guess take this as a 2.5. I originally started going to this location to have custom orthotics made. I wish I had known then what a bad idea that was going to turn out to be (will come back to this at the end of this novel). There were some red flags right away- requiring payment in full of the orthotics out of pocket before even receiving them. I was able to compromise and pay half then and half when I picked them up, but that policy seemed bad. Fast forward a few months and I'm realizing I need to address issues with one foot that orthotics are not going to fix. I came in to discuss surgical options. I was also dealing with what I thought at the time was plantar fasciitis, worse in the foot that was NOT going to be operated on than the other. I even started to have tingling and numbness that I told the doctor about. I didn't feel like that was taken very seriously, but I decided to go ahead with the procedure anyway and see if the forced resting would help. I had to call the office a lot during that time as there was a sudden shortage of pain medicine and we were trying to work around that. It was impossible to reach anyone on the phone. I was leaving message after message and getting so frustrated. Finally got that sorted the day before the surgery. The surgery itself went well, I have no complaints about that or Dr. Petranek as a surgeon. Unfortunately, during the recovery the pain, tingling and numbness in the other foot became even more severe as I was putting all my weight on that one while being non-weight bearing with the other. I brought it up at the follow up appointment. Still wasn't taken very seriously. By the next follow up, I was in absolute agony and I insisted on imaging. Xrays and ultrasound ruled out everything but a pinched nerve. I was put on a very low dose of gabapentin and sent on my way. The first few days I could tell the medicine worked only at night. I called the office to explain the issue and asked if I could go up in dosage because I was still in excruciating pain. Dr. Petranek relayed through the receptionist in a voicemail that I should absolutely not do that, and no other alternatives were offered. I found myself 2 days ago (July 3) desperate for further answers and was able to get in with an unrelated orthopedic doctor elsewhere last minute. He diagnosed my issue as a badly pinched lateral plantar nerve caused by the orthotics that were made for me!! He put me on a strong anti-inflammatory, increased the gabapentin dosage, and he believes that my issue will resolve eventually now that I have thrown the offending orthotics into the garbage. I still may need a cortisone shot to help the nerve calm down though. I have been dealing with this since late March/early April, and have now gone through surgery recovery on the other foot, relying on the other one with a severely pinched nerve, the most pain I've ever been in, and I have a very high pain tolerance. I am very upset with this practice overall and the lack of compassion and care. I felt others should know my story in its entirety, hence the novel."

"My wife and I like the way Dr. Gordon cares for our elderly feet. We are always given attentive, professional, and effective care. We very highly recommend him and his staff."

"I have to write my qualified opinion as a whole, as it relates to my foot surgery recovery not only the fact that doctor completed surgery and that was all to care for. Dr. Michael Petranek does not evaluate the whole spectrum of patient’s foot issues and other underlying conditions related the foot to make sure the recuperation is more than excellent for patient to be happy. I only had 1 foot surgery and I cannot complete my other foot surgery due to the lack of doctor full evaluation of repercussions of the surgery progress. It has been 3 months now and I still have shooting pain and feel strong pulsation right on the wound from first surgery which happens frequently and also when I am sleeping the shooting pain wakes me up. I am still not adjusted to wearing my shoes because it puts more pressure on wound and pain level increases. I am still limping getting adjusted to my shoe. Doctor believes that healing process is really quick and you can do anything with foot in a flash. His expectations are that you can do anything after a month of surgery and because of his conviction, he does not authorize short term disability. He does not feel comfortable doing any disability paperwork and refused to assist me after I asked him multiple times he said "I am not comfortable with doing the disability" . My work requires me to be standing and I work for myself and I was not able to receive any benefits because of his decision not to approve the benefits and submit documents. His decision forced me not to get the 2nd needed surgery scheduled for this month because other foot is in pain also. The foot and leg that still needs surgery got increased pain since it was working harder while the surgery foot is still recovering. I am not bionic to do all I want with foot and I should have been granted the benefit of short term policy I have been paying since 2015 from my own pocket to be able to use during hardship situations. Anyone not in medical field knows that surgeries take long time to heal, more so in my case with age and 205 lbs weight, therefore it can’t be expected for me to go and work standing on my foot as I please. Besides everyone does not heal at same speed. I consider doctor did not have any compassion and felt that it was out of his hands to do so. He should have said that he has no capacity to offer help with disability insurance so I could find another doctor that could help me more and for me to complete both feet surgery. IN reference my qualified review addressing my foot concerns, please know that I am patient of Family Foot & Ankle Specialists : www. footandankle-usa.com My name is Pedro (in Spanish) but people know me by Pete (English). My surgery was on January 14th in Reston Hospital. My MRN for your practice is 96817723 and I have made multiple visits for few years the last one happening on 3/11/2022. My information is valid as recorded in my previous Google rating with reference to my foot surgery condition."

"Our family members have been patients of Reston Family and Foot for quite some time and we recommend this practice to our friends. The staff is friendly and Dr Charney is a compassionate good listener, offering different treatment options as available. She explains treatment plans well and does not leave us feeling she is too busy to handle our care."

"The staff is incredibly helpful, polite, friendly, efffective and efficient. The nurses are so helpful to the extent that they hang your coat and make sure you are comfortable on the examination table. There's always someone at the front desk to answer your questions during normal business hours. My doctor is very proficient and knows what he's doing. He explains procedures in a layman language so you can understand. He doesn't rush you through the examination. He takes his time and asks you questions to ascertain to the fact that you have fully understood the procedure. I'll recommend anyone I know to go to this clinic"