Jefferson, Longview, Mashall, Texarkana Podiatrist

Dr. Timothy Tesi DPM - podiatrist, a physician of the foot and board certified as Pedorthist.

Very often foot pain and foot problems can be successfully treated without invasive surgeries and often without painful injections. I guess you'd say my passion is keeping people walking without pain and without painful solutions.

If you are looking for a non-surgical solution to your foot problems, I believe I can help. There are very few foot problems where surgery is the only option. Often, someone will say to me they've been told there is no answer except surgery and even that might not be effective. Through the years I've seen enough of these "hopeless" cases to know that, even though they may be challenging, there is hope and most often a non-surgical answer for these foot problems. Working together with you, we can find the best method for treating your foot problems.

I combine podiatry, treatment of the skin, soft tissues and bone of the foot, with pedorthics, treatment of the external needs of the foot with therapies, proper fitting footwear and orthotics and braces when needed. I don't want to only treat your foot problems to alleviate the pain, but I also want to find the source or reason for the pain and solve those problems so the foot pain doesn't continue or recur. For example, instead of just treating painful plantar fasciitis with a steroid injection, I can often find an external reason for the internal pain and inflammation. Then with a non-surgical treatment, the plantar fascia can heal successfully, alleviating the pain. As you share your symptoms, concerns and foot problems with me, I will listen and respond with a diagnosis and options for treatment. Together, we can discover the cause of the problem and find solutions.

Non-surgical treatments allow surgery to be done later if needed. However, surgery may cause the non-surgical treatments to be less effective. It is important to realize surgery begets surgery. Having a surgery may lead to the need for more surgeries. On the contrary, non-surgical treatment preserves the foot tissue, cartilage and bone and allows them to heal naturally with support. Many people think of surgery as a fix. It may be just the opposite; causing problems you didn't have previously. I encourage my patients to do their own research and I provide the medical terms needed for their internet search.

Over 35 years ago I began making my own shoes, orthotics and boots. I had severe foot problems that I couldn't find help to fix. Even my father and uncle, well-known physicians in the area we lived, couldn't help me. As my foot and knee problems kept getting worse, I knew I'd have to find my own solutions. So I looked first at making something to fit in my shoes to ease the pain. I took one of the first courses ever offered on making orthotics and shoes modifications. I also took lessons from a shoemaker and began making my own shoes and boots. My initial solutions helped, but didn't cure my pain, so I enrolled in medical school to study the foot and all its physical properties. As I studied the foot I was awed by its unique function (did you know man is the only mammal with an actual foot rather than a paw or….?) I became fascinated with all the intricacies of the bones, ligaments, tendons and how they work together with the rest of the body to enable the body to move, to walk, run, jump and experience life! In medical school, the focus for treatment of foot problems is mainly surgical. After graduation, during the years of performing surgeries in private practice, I kept thinking, if my patients wouldn't have waited so long to have their foot problems diagnosed and treated, they could have had non-surgical, non-invasive treatments and therapies that would have actually helped the foot long term more than surgery. The more I dealt with foot pain and problems, the more I realized I could remedy a problem with proper shoes, custom-made orthotics, even exercises and decided that is where I wanted to use my medical training. It's rare that a foot problem can't be fixed non-surgically.

My vision and purpose for this podiatry office and foot care center in Jefferson, Texas, is to help keep people walking without pain – to provide help for painful, aching, sore, tired feet so people can remain active and able to walk, be active, to work, play, be involved in various activities, which will keep the whole body healthy – beginning with healthy, pain-free feet!

Our feet are so amazing! Every day our feet enable us to get to all the places we need to go. If we give our feet the proper support and room to function, they will give us a lifetime of service and enjoyment.

There are so many items for the treatment and care of the feet. At the office in Jefferson, we stride to make these items available and convenient for our Jefferson, Marshall, Longview, Shreveport, Mt. Pleasant, Gilmer and Texarkana clients. My desire is to have the office be a resource for all foot care needs. We endeavor to have a place where questions about feet can be answered and where foot care items are available.