Beaver Valley Foot Clinic & the American Diabetes Association

Treating Patients and Providing Education

By Vanessa Orr

When a person suffers from foot pain, it can affect more than just his or her mobility. In addition to limiting movement, foot pain can also radically alter a person’s lifestyle. At Beaver Valley Foot Clinic, Dr. Christina Teimouri and her staff not only provide fast, gentle relief of the pain and treat the underlying cause, but help patients return to a more active lifestyle.

“I got into podiatry because I wanted to help people feel better,” explained Dr. Teimouri, who has been in practice for the past 11 years. Dr. Teimouri says that she first realized that she wanted to be a doctor at the age of five, but chose podiatry while volunteering at a Southside hospital.

“I was in pre-med at Pitt when I met my first podiatrist, and I was immediately attracted to the field,” she explained. “I find everything about it, especially the surgical aspect, extremely interesting.”

At Beaver Valley Foot Clinic, patients are treated for a number of different conditions including plantar warts, ingrown toenails, soft tissue tumors, neuromas, hammertoes, mycotic nails, wound care and problems resulting from diabetes. The practice offers the latest cutting-edge technology to treat foot pain, including Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy or ESWT. ESWT is a 20-minute, noninvasive procedure that uses sound waves to stimulate healing in some physical disorders, including plantar fasciitis or heel spurs.

“Our goal is to reduce the need for surgery by using new technology,” explained Dr. Teimouri of the noninvasive procedures. “Patients can undergo treatment in the office and be back at work the next day. There’s none of the dangers associated with anesthesia and no need for hospitalization.”

When surgery can’t be avoided, patients may undergo minimally invasive cryosurgery or radiosurgery to remove unwanted tissue such as plantar warts and small tumors, or to treat ingrown nails. Cryosurgery exposes tissues to extreme cold, which results in the destruction or elimination of abnormal cells. Radiosurgery uses a wave of electrons at radiofrequency (bands between AM and FM) to remove abnormal tissue.

“I make it a point to keep up on training and to be aware of the latest technologies that could help my patients,” said Dr. Teimouri. “While I’m often the first doctor to bring new techniques to Pittsburgh, I make sure that the technology has been perfected before I will bring it into my practice.”

Because Beaver Valley Foot Clinic offers such state-of-the-art care, patients are willing to travel long distances to offices in Cranberry Township, Robinson Towne Centre, Moon Township, Hopewell, Chippewa Township and Ambridge. “We’ve actually had patients come from California and New York for treatment,” said Dr. Teimouri. “One patient had ESWT, and then flew his mother here from Florida for treatment.”

Beaver Valley Foot Clinic is also taking the lead in wound care with the addition of a new associate, Certified Wound Care Specialist Dr. Derrico Quattrone. Trained under Dr. A. Lee Dellon of Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Quattrone specializes in a number of surgical procedures including the triple nerve release, which relieves pressure surrounding the nerves, suffered by diabetic patients.

“There are so many options now available in wound care, from things as simple as shoe modification to skin-grafting surgery,” he explained. “Through my experience, I am able to bring new ideas to the practice.”

Because many diabetics suffer from foot problems, Beaver Valley Foot Clinic works to educate people on diabetic foot and wound care, as well as supports charities such as the American Diabetes Association. In addition to organizing fundraising events in the past, Dr. Teimouri and her staff meet with diabetic awareness groups and provide hospital training for healthcare providers who treat diabetic patients.

“Eventually, almost all diabetics will have foot problems,” said Dr. Teimouri. “It can not only be painful, but can lead to lower extremity amputation. Because most diabetic patients experience a lack of sensation and decreased blood supply to their feet, they are more susceptible to injuries and are also much slower to heal.”

According to Claralyn Phillips, executive director of the American Diabetes Association of Western Pennsylvania, education is key to helping people deal with diabetes. “Diabetes is growing so quickly; experts predict that one in three babies born since 2000 will be impacted by diabetes during their lifetime,” she explained. A group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both, diabetes cannot be cured but can often be controlled.

According to ADA statistics, every day in America, 2,700 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Roughly 575 people die of the disease, and 180 amputations are performed as a result of the condition. These numbers can be reduced, however, with proper preventive measures and medical treatment.

“The American Diabetes Association raises money to support diabetes research, information and advocacy,” said Phillips of the organization which is currently funding millions of dollars of research through the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). “It is our mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by the disease.”

Through the work of the ADA and the Beaver Valley Foot Clinic, people suffering from diabetes and problems caused by the disease are receiving the care they need. For more information on Beaver Valley Foot Clinic, call 724-772-FOOT or visit
www.bvfootclinic.com. For more information on the ADA, call 412-824-1181 or visit www.diabetes.org.