Date: Fri 09-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Segalman-health-podiatrist

Full Text:

w/photo: Getting A New Practice Off On The Right Foot

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

Dr Joel S. Segalman likes to use the analogy of a car when he talks to

patients about their foot problems.

"You can change a tire, but you need to do a realignment, too," he might say

to someone who needs surgery and orthotics.

Or, in discussing the effect of running marathons on a runners' feet, he may

explain that it's like the tires on a race car: Some drivers get more mileage

out of them, others less.

"I often use analogies about a car because it's something patients readily

understand and aren't as likely to get nervous," he said. "I like to think

that nobody ever gets nervous in my office."

Not that patients are likely to get nervous in Dr Segalman's new suite of

offices in Newtown. Located at 87 South Main Street, the Newtown Foot Care

Group office is warm and inviting, with a French country ambience and framed

prints by Dr Segalman's uncle, artist Richard Segalman, on walls that are

topped with deep crown molding. A stereo system provides soothing background

music.

"This used to be the office of the Board of Realtors," Dr Segalman said. "When

I closed on the property last March it was really just one big empty space,

about 1,300 square feet. I reworked everything on a computer for design and

code (renovations)."

A wide curving hallway and huge new restroom make the office handicapped

accessible. The operating room and two treatment rooms are equipped with

state-of-the-art technology, including fully automated autoclaves for

sterilization procedures and x-ray machines.

"It took longer than I ever expected to get the office ready," Dr Segalman

said. "For a while I was working 90 hours a week and couldn't get to the gym

for two months."

A marathon runner, Dr Segalman has served as a staff podiatrist for the Boston

Marathon for the past eight years. While he treats patients of all ages, he

said he has seen a growing number of patients with foot problems stemming from

the physical fitness craze which has swept the country in recent years.

"A lot of people have problems with their feet because of aerobics but even

older people who are doing a lot of walking sometimes experience problems," he

said. "I'll bet 20 years ago foot doctors seldom saw these kind of problems."

A lot depends upon wearing proper footgear, something shoe manufacturers are

beginning to address, he said.

"Years ago there were only Keds. Today you see jogging shoes, cross-trainers -

different types of shoes for each sport," he said. "On the other hand, I've

seen people running in basketball shoes - not a good idea."

Some types of foot problems tend to be seasonal, he said. In the damp days of

summer, there are a lot of children with warts and with traumatic injuries

because of mishaps when going barefoot. Winter brings lots of complains of

dermititis, dry skin, cracked heels.

"In the fall, when basketball, soccer and football begin, there are a lot of

sprains," he said."

Dr Segalman, who is board certified by the American College of Podiatric

Orthopedics, treats everything from common foot problems like calluses, corns

and ingrown toenails to conditions which require surgery.

"I like surgery because it's much like being an artist - creating something

new," he said. "It's exciting for me and for the patient. But I'm conservative

- I never push for surgery and I never book surgery on a patient's first

visit. It's important to try other options first."

A resident of Ridgefield, Dr Segalman, 33, grew up on Long Island, went to

medical school in Chicago and did his residency at a Harvard-affiliated

hospital in Boston. In 1991 he bought the practice of a Waterbury podiatrist

who was retiring because of ill health.

"I knew I wanted to live in Connecticut," Dr Segalman said. "It's close to New

York yet it offers all the adavantages of a country lifestyle. When I decided

to open a second office, I picked Newtown because it's beautiful, it's

affordable and it's growing like crazy - something which is good for someone

who is building a practice."

Dr Segalman has office hours in Newtown on Tuesdays, Thursday mornings and

Saturdays, and in Waterbury on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Thursday

evenings. And he still makes house calls.

"I have a lot of sick and very elderly patients who count on me," he

explained. "I do it because of the service, certainly not because of the

money. Medicare doesn't pay any more for a house call than an office visit.

But I've learned a lot about life from these people, and they are important to

me."

When he's sometimes asked whether it isn't boring being a foot doctor, Joel

Segalman disagrees. Many diseases manifest themselves in the feet, he said,

and he often is the first doctor to spot a developing problem in patients,

particularly those with diseases like diabetes.

"I tend to be a talker," he said, "and I love to educate patients."

Dr Segalman didn't open his office in time to be included in the current

telephone directory . He can be reached at 270-6724; when he isn't in Newtown,

calls to the Newtown office are automatically answered by his office staff in

Waterbury.