Charles F. Wilson, DPM, PC - Silver Spring, Maryland

Mike Brown

Pros: Knowledgeable in both podiatry and physical therapy and knows how to apply them to both compliant and non-compliant patients; knows how to deal with white-coat syndrome
Cons: Only available Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

I saw Dr. Wilson for the first time about a year ago. At the time, two years into my tennis career, my feet had begun hurting after every other set and the soles of my shoes were wearing out quickly and unevenly (as if I had run exclusively on the insides of my feet). I made a few inquiries about the foot pain and was able to get an appointment within 2 days of the initial contact.

As I would expect of an experienced professional, the appointment itself was straightforward. (Paperwork was a snap as Dr. Wilson uses the same EHR system as my PCP--AthenaHealth.) Within minutes, I learned about my gait and the now-obvious over-pronation I exhibited and was promptly cast for a pair of orthotics. During the casting process I talked quite a bit--having gotten rather comfortable with this doctor--eventually getting around to the other minor pains I'd been having in various places. One of those places was the Achilles tendon I hadn't snapped yet.

Dr. Wilson showed a variety of stretches before hitting me with an unexpected, but highly relevant question: "Which of these are you most likely to do?" I much prefer standing stretches to anything that requires on-floor-contortion, so I told him that--he showed me a set of stretches that would cover the functional area while meeting my particular criteria. Many doctors are book-smart, but don't understand that an "optimal" solution is nothing of the sort in the real world if patients aren't going to do it. Dr. Wilson is several steps ahead of them. (EDIT: pun NOT intended)

(The orthotics, by the way, were so good that I had to get another, slightly different pair for my work shoes.)

If you have questions, feel free to comment on my review or contact me directly.